If you like spicy food, Thai cuisine is just the ticket. Fresh king crab legs, Dungeness crab or Snow crabs are simply luscious morsels in this sweet and fiery chili sauce. But don’t limit the main ingredient to crab. Shrimp or prawns are just as tasty cooked in Thai chili sauce…even chicken is succulent stir-fried with this Asian condiment.
Why pay a king’s ransom for a bottle of commercial sauce when you can make your own for pennies. Plus, you know what’s in it, who made it, and where the ingredients came from. Protect your health and pocket book … make this super easy sauce in quantity and can it so you’ll have plenty on hand for future Thai dishes.
Serve Thai Chili Crab Legs with Indonesian yellow rice, green papaya salad, and a good bottle of beer. Lay the table with newspapers…this is a finger-food feast…, include a finger bowl of warm water with plenty of napkins or warm wet towels, make sure everyone has pliers and cocktail forks along with chopsticks and bibs. Invite the gang and party!
Ingredients
- Fresh crab legs – 1 pound per person – cracked
- Scallions – 2 per person – sliced thin
- Fresh ginger root, one knob, grated
- Olive oil for sautéing
- 1 recipe Thai Chili Sauce (below)
Method
- Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil.
- Drop in the crab and cook just until shells turn red. Remove and drain.
- Heat a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat.
- Add enough olive oil to glaze the bottom. Stir fry crab, scallions and ginger for 2 minutes.
- Add chili sauce and heat though.
Sweet Thai Chili Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp fresh red chili, minced (use Serrano or Thai chilies)*
- 1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
- 1 Tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 Tbsp sugar (or agave nectar to taste)
- 1 tsp garlic, minced
- 1 Tbsp Thai fish sauce (optional but makes it decidedly Asian)
Method
- In a small sauce pan heat chili, vinegar, tomato paste, salt, sugar and garlic together over low heat. Stir constantly until mixture thickens to a syrupy consistency.
- Add fish sauce if desired.
- Makes 5 servings.
Notes
- Your choice of chilies determines the level of heat. Serrano or Thai chilies are very hot but removing the seeds will mellow the heat somewhat. Always wear gloves when preparing chilies or handle the chilies by the stem to cut and seed them.
- To can: increase recipe to volume desired. Cook as instructed. Fill hot sterilized jars within ¼ inch of top of jar, seal and water bath for 20 minutes. Store in cool, dry, pantry up to 6 months.
- If you’d like more texture in the sauce, use a 12 oz. can of diced tomatoes in place of tomato paste. Cooking will be longer with the added liquid.
