Talangka or Asian Shore Crab in Coconut Milk

Photo from fotochef.blogspot.com
In my previous posting I described how I watched harvesting the bangus (milk fish)from my parents fish pond when I was growing up in the Philippines. Along with the bangus, hundreds of mini crabs known locally as talangka were also harvested. The correct English name for talangka is “Asian shore crab” because of the square shaped top shell.

I remember eating the small crabs that our maid cooked in coconut milk. It is called locally as Ginat-an na Talangka. This Filipino dish has also shrimp paste( bago-ong), garlic, ginger, and chili(hot pepper). Do not over cooked the crabs. You may used vinegar with crushed garlic as a good dipping sauce. The best part of the crab is the red fat (TABA),oftentimes known as the Filipino caviar. Here's how to eat this delicious dish.

First remove the top shell, then split the body into two and remove the legs. Dip into vinegar/garlic sauce, and eat the body only. The legs are pretty sharp. Omit the hot pepper if you do not like it spicy hot. This dish is super high in cholesterol and not for persons with high blood pressure and high cholesterol levels. Bon Apetit!

Last year ABC News featured Chef Bun Lai of Miya Sushi Restaurant in New Haven, Connecticutt regarding his recipe of crab popcorn. I am sure it taste better than shrimp popcorn. Chef Bun Lai urged everyone to eat Asian shore crab popcorn to help restore the ecosystem balance in the Eastern seashores of the US.

The scientific name of the Talangka is Hemigrapsus sanguineus. It is sometimes called as the Japanese shore crab or Asian shore crab, crablets or mini crabs. This is a species of crab from East Asia. In recent years, it has been introduced to several other shores in other countries, and is now an invasive species in North America and Europe.