9 chili crab recipes

Singapore chilli crab: cracked blue swimmer crabs simmered in a sweet-tangy tamarind, ginger and bird's eye chili sauce. Hawker stall classic, messy, hands-on, completely worth the cleanup.

Charcoal-grilled hard-shell crabs brushed with Thai chili paste, tomato, and garlic olive oil, served with corn grilled in the husk. A summer cookout feast with an East-meets-West kick.

This recipe is delicious but might be too barbaric for some.

Kakuluwo (Sri Lankan crab curry) simmered in two stages of coconut milk with shallots, ginger, garlic, fenugreek, turmeric, curry leaves, and a finishing splash of lime. Bold, fragrant, deeply spiced.

Indonesian curried crab simmers cracked whole crab in a rich coconut curry built on a fresh-ground paste of galangal, lemongrass, chili and candlenuts, balanced with sour tamarind. Fragrant, fiery, gloriously messy.

Fusilli bucati pasta with sauteed soft shell crabs, Anaheim and jalapeno peppers, white wine, tomato sauce, and wilted escarole. A bold Italian seafood pasta.

This Sri Lankan kakuluwo simmers blanched crab in a spiced coconut gravy thickened with grated coconut and ground rice. Fenugreek, curry leaves, and lime make it unmistakably island-style.

Crispy beer battered soft shell crabs soaked in milk, fried golden, and served with a punchy Asian dipping sauce of fish sauce, lime, honey, and chili. Restaurant-worthy seafood at home.

Classic Crab Louis salad with chilled crab meat on shredded lettuce topped with a tangy Louis sauce of cream, chili sauce, lemon, and Worcestershire. A no-cook West Coast classic.