Crabs are a favourite among many Malaysians and there are a myriad ways to enjoy them – sweet and sour, spicy, chillies with dried prawns, curried – all are delicious in their own way.

Less known is the method of baking. There are two ways to bake crabs.

The traditional Chinese method uses a little water and a smoking hot wok, preferably a well-seasoned one that has been in use for a while.

They can also be baked in a hot oven until they are done.

You can use blue crab, mud crab, Dungeness crab, snow crab or king crab for a sweet and flavourful treat.

Ingredients

• 3 blue crabs, or your choice of crab
• 3 tablespoons water

Method

• Rinse the crabs with cold water and place them in a wok. Add the water and cover the wok tightly.
• Turn up the heat to high and wok-bake the crab for eight minutes or until they are cooked.
• Turn the crab every two minutes and then cover to continue baking.
• The crabs are done when the shell turns bright orange with an intense aroma.
• Add a little more water and cook for a few more minutes if the crabs are not cooked through.
• Or bake the crabs on a baking sheet in the oven at 200ºC for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the shells turn bright orange.

This recipe first appeared in Rasa Malaysia Low Bee Yinn is a food blogger and cookbook author.