I remember when we were young, whenever we went out with our dad, we would always eat in this food court restaurant bearing the name of my dad’s province. I bet he misses the food he used to eat when he was young. He went to Manila decades ago to try his luck.
Whenever we eat there, I would always order a platter of their crispy crablets with a vinegar dipping sauce. It’s really simple and yet it’s very tasty. I love the crunchy sound it makes whenever I take a bite of it. Now, when I thought of it, I’m thinking of a ice cold beer to go with it.
Yesterday night, when I went to the grocery to buy a cough gargle, I happened to passed by the frozen section and saw these crablets in the fridge. I quickly grabbed a quarter kilo and thought of deep frying it until golden brown and crispy. I just so missed the crispy crablets.
For our lunch, my mom cooked Sinigang na Isda sa Puso ng Saging. It’s a new recipe she learned from the market vendor. Then I decided to cook the crablets. Since we were only three and a quarter kilo is too much for us, I thawed half of it and marinated it in a dry rub of Spanish paprika, salt and pepper. I tossed it until the crablet are coated with the spices. Then I added 1/4 cup of flour and tossed it again until everything is covered with flour. I leave it on the counter for 30 minutes before deep frying. I prepared the vinegar dipping sauce with vinegar, onion, salt and sugar. I also added a chili to give it a few kick.
Ingredients
1/8 kilo Crablets
2 Tablespoons Spanish Paprika
1 teaspoon Rock Salt
1/2 teaspoon Black Pepper
1/4 cup Flour
1/4 cup White Vinegar
1 piece Small Red Onion, chopped
1 Tablespoon White Sugar
1/2 teaspoon Rock Salt
Chili
Procedure
Thawed the frozen crablets. The fresh ones is still better. Wash with water and let it drain. Place the crablets in a bowl. Add the Spanish paprika, salt and pepper. Tossed until the crablets are covered with the flavorings. Add in the flour and tossed again. Let this marinate for 30 minutes. Deep fry until golden brown.
For the dipping sauce, combine vinegar, onion, sugar and salt. Mix thoroughly. You might want to add additional sugar just to balance the acidity of the vinegar. Add chopped chili if you want.
