Where to Eat Teochew Marinated Raw Crab 🦀 Chaoshan Poison in Singapore 潮汕毒药 🦀 生腌螃蟹

There are not many restaurants in Singapore with Teochew Marinated Raw Crab 潮州生腌螃蟹 on their menu. This traditional Teochew dish is so potent that, in China, they call it Chaoshan Poison 潮汕毒药.

Restaurant name: Teochew Restaurant Huat Kee 潮州發記

Address: Level 2, #02-01 RELC Building, 30 Orange Grove Road, Singapore 258352 (next to Shangri-La Hotel)

Tel: 6423 4747

Hours: Lunch 11:00am - 2:30pm Dinner 6:00pm - 10:00pm

Yeah....., not many people have Teochew Soy Sauce Marinated Raw Crab at the top of their minds when they dine in restaurants nowadays. Even fewer chefs in Singapore know how to make this esoteric dish now.

At Huat Kee 發記, you have to call them at ☎ 6423 4747, if you like to taste one. For your effort, Huat Kee's matriarch Mdm Loh (everyone calls her Huat Soh) will personally see to it that your Teochew Soy Sauce Marinated Raw Crab is prepared to Huat Kee standards. (This is very crucial as this is a raw crab dish which must be done responsibly.)

We had two servings at $75 each (price is seasonal). I can only see the thick orange-red crab "mustard" (tomalley or liver) and roe on this baby.

The thoroughly cleaned live mud crab is "cooked" by drowning / marinating it in a blend of soy sauce, garlic, ginger, parsley, coriander, bay leaves, other spices and Chinese cooking wine for a day. The marinated crab is served chilled.

Oh... I just love this exotic dish - it is literally an umami bomb 💣

It has deep layers of robust savoury umami from the soy sauce, cheesy creamy crab "mustard", eggy roe, and sweet briny crab meat. The "sashimi" crab meat was soft, juicy and saturated with sweet umami briny flavour.

It is highly addictive even though it is not going to fill your stomach by much. For that, we had lobster (done four ways), Teochew fried kway teow and fried muah chee dessert today.

Shao at Frankel Estate is another place in Singapore for Teochew Soy Sauce Marinated Raw Crab. It's the same mud crab marinated in soy sauce, spices and wine but the crustacean is cut up and presented differently.

As usual for Soy Sauce Marinated Raw Crab in Singapore, best to call ahead ☎ 6610 9233 to check availability and price.

Restaurant name: Shao 烧

Address: 117 Frankel Avenue, Singapore 458232 

Tel: 6610 9233

Hours: Lunch 11:00am - 3:00pm Dinner 5:00pm - 11:00pm

Same crab "mustard" and roe providing the crustacean umami complemented by savouriness from soy sauce and aromatic spices. The vegetables add a touch of sweetness and the chili gives the dish a bit of spicy heat.

The "sashimi" meat served chilled is soft, the roe and "mustard" are so creamy, you can suck these out of the shell like it is a savoury ice cream.

It is not for nothing that the Chinese call this dish Chaoshan Poison 潮汕毒药. Find out at your own risk (of addiction).

Just make sure that you only eat it at reputable, responsible places to avoid risk of food poisoning. Beware the wrong kind of poison.

The Huat Kee story 👈 click

Eating Lobster at Huat Kee 👈 click

Lunch at Shao Teochew 👈 click

The Koreans have a similar raw crab dish known as Ganjang Jegang, nicknamed "rice thief" 👈 click

                  

Written by Tony Boey on 23 Jan 2022