Rellenong Alimasag (Stuffed Crabs)

Growing up in Calapan City, the beautiful capital of Oriental Mindoro where access to fresh seafood is not a problem, I grew up loving all kinds of them --- from fish, prawns, crabs, crablets, squid, mussels, oysters, etc. But as a kid, I had difficulty eating crabs. I was always having a hard time getting the crab meat out, so my mom always helped me with it. Dinner always took longer than usual when we're eating boiled crabs. To make it easier to eat, she would sometimes make it into rellenong alimasag (stuffed crabs). She would remove meat from the crabs, saute it with some vegetables, refill on the top shell and then fry. The difficult part in preparing this dish is collecting the meat from the crab shells and claws including meat from the legs, but she would patiently do it saying that it's all worth the effort. It has been and always will be my favorite crab dish. It's too time consuming to make but it's all worth it considering that it looks so festive and it allows you to enjoy eating crabs hassle free.

One place here in Texas that reminds me of where I grew up is Texas City. Located in Galveston County, it is part of the mainland Texas Gulf Coast and is the closest place where we can get and eat the freshest seafood, so I really love going there! The last time we went there two weeks ago, Ryan's aunt bought some live crabs, boiled them and served them for her son's birthday dinner. She saved some for us to take home, and last night, I made them into relleno. It took me about thirty minutes to get all the crab meat out from 8 crabs. It wasn't easy but like what my mom used to say, it's all worth it! We all enjoyed dinner!

Ingredients:

• 8 blue crabs, cooked
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 medium yellow onion, minced
• 1 pc. tomato, diced
• 1 pc. potato, finely chopped
• 1 small carrot, finely chopped
• 1 pc. Jalapeño pepper, minced
• 2 stalks green onions, finely chopped
• 2 Tbsp fish sauce
• 2 eggs, beaten
• salt and pepper to taste
• ¼ cup panko breadcrumbs (This is optional. I just love adding panko bread crumbs for extra crisp.)
• vegetable oil, for sauteing and frying

Procedure:

1. Collect all the meat out of the crabs including meat from its claws and legs. Set aside. Save the top shells, keep them in the refrigerator while cooking the filling.

2. In a skillet, sauté garlic and onions in vegetable oil until onion is almost translucent. Add minced tomato and chopped potato. By the time the tomato is all mushy, the potato will also be cooked. 

3. Add crab meat and saute for a minute. Add fish sauce, carrots, green onions and jalapeño pepper. Add salt and pepper to suit your taste. Keep stirring until ingredients are well combined. Remove the mixture from heat and let it cool.

4. In a large bowl, place the mixture and beaten eggs. Mix well. Fill each crab shell with the mixture, making sure it is compacted. Place the stuffed crabs cavity side up on a large plate. Sprinkle panko bread crumbs on top of each.

4. In a non-stick skillet, heat oil on high then set the heat on medium-high. Fry the crabs top shell side down first for around 2 minutes. Ladle some of the hot oil on top to set the filling. Flip them and cook the other side for about a minute. 

5. Remove from skillet and drain on paper towel lined plate. Serve hot with ketchup or spicy vinegar. (My daughters love it with Filipino Banana Ketchup while Ryan and I enjoy it more with spicy vinegar.)