Relleno Alimasag (Philippine Style Stuffed Crab)
One of the greatest food writers in the Philippines was a lady by the name of Doreen Fernandez. When I was in the Philippines I took for granted her contributions to our cuisine and so I rarely paid any attention to her works which was a pity since I have been crazy looking for some of her books which are almost impossible to find. Last month in Melbourne I went to a store called Books For Cooks where tucked in a corner was one of Doreen’s books. I couldn’t believe my luck! The book is called Palayok (a type of native cooking pot) and while not a recipe book, is filled with valuable information on what and how our cuisine has come to where it is today. The chapter I’m reading now for instance, is on the Spanish influences on food.
This influence is of course inevitable considering we were a colony from 1521 to 1898 (I tell everyone we were colonized for around 300 years, but now I realize it’s 377!). The first Spanish settlers were officials and their families then later on, friars. Ingredients in the Spanish kitchen often make an appearance in our food like chorizo (sausages) and jamon (ham). Another example, is in our cooking methods. To saute in the Philippines is called “gisa” from the Spanish word guisar.
Another cooking process commonly used in the Philippines, is called relleno which means to stuff. With some types of relleno, the Spanish influence is much clearer, for example, rellenong manok (stuffed chicken) will typically be stuffed with pork, chorizo and ham. Other relleno has been adapted to the produce more easily available in the Philippines, for example, rellenong bangus or stuffed milkfish (milkfish is very accessible in the Philippines).
Which brings me to this month’s Kulinarya Cooking Challenge which was to make Relleno – which makes it’s appearance more during the Christmas season. I chose to make Rellenong Alimasag which is a stuffed crab, Philippine style. Meat is removed from the crabs and mixed with some vegetables and refilled on the top shell and then fried. This is one of the most festive dishes that I could think of that really celebrates the fresh seafood we have in the Philippines. The dish itself is not difficult to make, but it is quite time consuming to remove all that meat from the crab – if you are lucky enough to afford good quality shelled crab meat, it makes life easier. Sometimes I add diced prawns if I’ve “accidentally” eaten some crab meat filling in the process of picking out the crab meat! 🙂
Relleno Alimasag (Philippine Style Stuffed Crab)
Rellenong Alimasag (Philippine Style Stuffed Crab)
Serves 4
- 4 live blue swimmer crabs
- 100 ml olive oil
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1 small carrot, diced
- 1 small waxy potato, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- Place the crabs in the freezer for 30 minutes to send them to sleep, then drop then in a large pot of boiling water for 5 minutes. Remove from the pot and allow to cool. Pick out the meat from the crabs and place them in a bowl. Reserve the top shells and give them a good rinse and set aside.
- Heat 50 ml of the olive oil in a large pan and saute the onion for around 5 minutes until translucent. Add the diced carrot and potato along with the garlic cloves and cook until the vegetables are soft, around 10 minutes over a low heat. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Place the vegetables in a bowl with the reserved crab meat and mix in the lightly beaten egg. Allow to cool slightly and then divide the crab mixture among the four shells.
- Heat the rest of the olive oil in a large pan and carefully place the crab shells (crab mixture facing the pan) on the heat and cook for around 5 minutes over a medium heat until golden brown. Drain on paper towels and serve with ketchup (banana is my preference) and mayonnaise on the side.
Relleno Alimasag (Philippine Style Stuffed Crab)
Thanks to Annie and Dahlia for a great Kulinarya challenge!
Kulinarya was started by a group of Filipino foodies living in Sydney, who are passionate about the Filipino culture and its colourful cuisine.
Each month we will showcase a new dish along with their family recipes. By sharing these recipes, we hope you find the same passion and love for Filipino Food as we do.
If you’re interested in joining our Kulinarya Cooking Club, please feel free to drop by our foodblogs and leave a comment – we would love to hear from you!
Peach http://www.thepeachkitchen.com/
Cusinera http://busogsarap.com/
Asha – http://forkspoonnknife.blogspot.com/
Anna – http://www.anniesfoodjournal.blogspot.com/
Dahlia – http://www.energychef.blogspot.com/
Joy – http://joyjoycreativeoutlet.blogspot.com/
Maribel – http://www.foodgeek.webs.com/
Tressa
Jen – http://www.jen-at-work.blogspot.com/
Pia – http://bisayajudkaayo.blogspot.com/
Mimi – http://lapinchecocinera.blogspot.com
Erika – http://ivoryhut.com/
Kat – http://www.caterersearch.com/tabletalk/default.aspx
Oggi – http://www.whydiss.blogspot.com/
Katrina – http://lardonmyfrench.blogspot.com/
Rochelle – http://www.whydiss.blogspot.com/
Trissalicious 
I love crab relleno…it’s always been my favourite…it used to be available almost everywhere…however I’m afraid that’s no longer the case…seeing it here in Trissalicious is the next best thing…thank you for bringing me back to crab relleno heaven…you’re amazing, Trissa!
You’re driving me insanely jealous with these crab posts. So hungry. Chained to office desk. No crab. Waaah!
This is one of Filipino dishes that I’d like giving a try. Living in the city with the largest Filipino’s community in Canada has made me learn many Tagalog’s food term which some of them are quite close to Indonesian.
That looks great. hmmm Crab.
Trissa,
I thought I commented on this post na but looks like i haven’t pa pala… i would “accidentally” eat the meat too so probably ill add some crab extenders na lang haha…
great looking relleno… truly festive, very apt for the first year anniversary celebration… great job for being one of the founders of this club…
cheers!
Mlalou
Crab is just too easily accidently eaten I think, hehe. I love the look and the presentation of that dish, really beckons you to dig in.
sarap nyan Trissa! 🙂 I love alimasag, I don’t blame you for “accidentally” eating the meat, it’s so hard to resist that succelent, tender juicy crab meat especially when it’s fresh, the smell alone is intoxicating… okay, now I’m drooling..lol
I didn’t realize KCC is now a year old…yay! wow! Thanks to you and Trisha and Kat for starting this club, thanks for letting me in..I love being a part of Kulinarya and “meeting” you all. 🙂
Now am intrigue on “Palayok”….have to bribe now one of my cousins to buy me one=) Lovely Rellenong Alimasag, I love pairing it with banana ketsup…I like the instruction of sending them to sleep, hehehehe!
Oh my, I’ve almost forgotten how delicious Rellenong Alimasag is! I’m having a serious craving for this now…beautiful pictures…excellent job!
This stuffed crab looks absolutely delicious!!! What a pleasant to see the Kulinarya Cooking Club you have started with Trish and Kath has grown so much the past year 🙂
WOW! Trissa, your rellenong alimasag looks amazing! My mom makes these, too and they’re always a hit at home. The tasty crab fat makes all the difference!!
And congratulations to the club’s first year! I was reading Carol’s rellenong bangus and read that your club has been doing this for a year now. Well done!
Beautiful job on the crab darling! Wow! And thank you for giving us a quick lesson in Filippino cooking terminology..always on the look out for new ideas!
These look simply divine! I love crab.
Good job on this. Yum!
Nice colors in the first photo matching the blue to the golden tones of the crab. Never heard of this style of crab but it sounds dynamite.
WHy hello there Mr Crab. Now stop looking at me while I eat your delicious stuffed innards mmmmm 🙂
Wow. That looks marvelous, Trissa! And what fun to eat!
Haha I love it!!!!! I would probably end up “Accidentally” eating the meat as well! Unfortunately I’m giving this month’s theme a miss as I’ve been away for long periods of time. It’s a bit of a shame as it’s our anniversary theme… ah well! I’ll just oggle and ooh and ahh over all the other members’ posts!!
WOW, it’s been a long time since I’ve had rellenong alimasag. These are so good, they beat crab cakes just for presentation alone & yours look very scrumptious! 🙂
Wow that looks amazing! I have never cooked crab myself, but I’d love to give this recipe a go!
Again, what a fantastic dish… Loved the history be hid it too!
This is one of the most luxurious food items of the Filipino kitchen repertoire. Does not depend on expensive imported ingredient but on its labour intensive requirements. Incidentally, the only one (among the many varieties of relleno) in my humble estimation that is worth all the effort expended in making it. Back home, this was what we did with alimasag when the catch was not fat or alive enough for eating out of hand simply boiled or steamed. In the Chesapeake region of the Eastern Seaboard, lump crab meat (that is even costlier than foie gras) is available for turning into rellenong alimasag, much tastier, much more refined and evocative (owing to the ingenious re-use of the carapace) than their traditional crab cakes.
The fried stuffing in the crab looks yummy in attractive brown colour. Should try it when I get some crabs. Must be very sure that I have enough time and energy to shell the crabs though. 😛
Super! Loved the article on Doreen! Thanks Tris!
Delicious, Trissa! I love rellenong anything, but this has to be my all-time favorite.
Oh my.. I love crab especially if their stuffed and then baked! And just look at all those delicious eggs left behind in that shell!!!
Funny how you “accidentally eat some of the crab! I would too! I have an award for you on my blog. I hope you will accept as you so deserve it!
I love crab. I would probably eat all 4 portions. ehehe. It looks delicious Trissa. Glad you picked to do the crab.
I’d love to read more on that book, please share more of this, I’m a big fan of reading stuff like this. And this dish is so very different, I’d love a taste. Thanks Trissa 🙂