My first dinner in Phnom Penh was not traditional Khmer food but seafood done contemporary Phnom Penh style. It's at the famous Russian Market. There's a row of at least three similar street side seafood stalls and Mister Crab was clearly the most popular.
(Cambodia is now post-pandemic. To enter the country, immigration will ask to see your vaccination status. Otherwise, clearance is the same as pre-Covid.)
Not sure why Mr Crab is the busiest on this strip. Perhaps they are the tastiest, have freshest seafood or most competitive pricing or some combination of all these. It is our local friends Ian and Eli's favourite. They come here once a month even though they live an hour's drive from here.
First to arrive was fresh local oysters in a plate of ice.
Locals eat it dressed with a bit of savoury tangy spicy sauce, fried shallot, and a stalk of slightly bitter, green tasting raw leaves.
The oysters got our dinner off to a booming start.
They were simply awesome (I mean simple and awesome). The oysters were super fresh, slightly briny, had the signature subtle metallic taste, and I love the gentle chewy crunch of its soft flesh. They were ocean fresh and there was no off taste whatsoever. (I didn't miss the creamy texture and milky taste of fat oysters.)
If you come here, and you are an oyster lover, this is a must order.
Mister Crab was full house within 30 minutes of opening. Soon people were standing around waiting for available tables.
Next was char grilled squid.
They were simply fresh squid brushed with oil while grilled over charcoal embers. So, we got tender, juicy meat with the natural sweet flavour of squid overlaid with a slight toasty, smokey taste.
Blanched cockles. They looked well cleaned outside and well cooked through.
The cockles, not too big were eaten with salt, pepper and a squeeze of lime. Nice! I like the tender, crunchy flesh and natural taste of fresh cockles. The taste of cockle blood wasn't overpowering, perhaps because the shellfish was well cooked through. ( 🎗️I can do this at home.)
Prawns over mung bean vermicelli (glass noodles or tang hoon).
I like the “porous“ type of tang hoon they use. The vermicelli were soft and moist (not wet), and well infused with umami savoury flavours which combined with the noodles' sweetness for a well balanced taste.
I like this vermicelli's taste more than many of the prawn or crab tang hoon that I have tasted in Singapore as it absorbed flavours a lot better.
Swimmer crab with salted egg sauce.
The crabs were uber fresh, so it's meat was naturally sweet. The salted egg sauce was relatively simple without much or any additional spices (you know, not like the Malaysian kum heong and no curry leaves) - just gentle umami savoury salted egg taste almost like liu sar in liu sar bao (salted egg bun). I like this less complicated taste as the sauce does not overpower the crab's delicate sweetness.
Mister Crab is a great start for my exploration of Cambodian and Phnom Penh cuisine. I always enjoy hyperlocal dining experiences when travelling. Our total bill came to USD30. Thank you Ian and Eli for your hospitality 🙏
Written by Tony Boey on 11 July 2022
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