Whole mud crab simmered in coconut milk with ginger, garlic, chilies, squash, and leafy greens
Ginataang alimango is a Filipino crab dish built around the natural sweetness of alimango and the richness of gata. Ginger, garlic, shallot, and chilies perfume the coconut milk while kalabasa gives the sauce body and malunggay adds a fresh green finish. The key is a steady, gentle simmer: vigorous boiling can split the coconut milk and toughen the delicate crab meat.
- Prep
- 30 mins
- Cook
- 35 mins
- Rest
- 5 mins
- Total
- 1 hour 10 mins
- Serves
- 4
- Difficulty
- Medium
The recipe
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Before you start
Keep the crab cold until ready to clean it. Remove the apron, gills, and inedible mouth parts, then rinse quickly and crack the claws so the sauce can enter. Cut the squash evenly and separate the malunggay leaves from their stems. Shake or stir the coconut milk before measuring.
Ingredients
For the crab
For the coconut sauce
Quantities change with servings; cooking times stay the same.
Equipment
- Wide heavy pot with lid paid link
- Chef’s knife paid link
- Cleaver paid link
- Crab crackers paid link
- Cutting board paid link
- Wooden spoon paid link
- Digital kitchen scale paid link
- Measuring jug paid link
Method
Season the cleaned crab pieces lightly with the sea salt and set them beside the stove.
Heat the coconut oil in a wide heavy pot over medium heat.
Add the shallots and cook for 3 minutes, then add the garlic, ginger, and finger chilies and cook for 2 minutes without browning.
Pour in the coconut milk and water. Bring the sauce just to a gentle simmer, stirring from the bottom.
Add the squash, cover partially, and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes until it is beginning to soften.
Add the crab claws and body pieces, arranging the shells in a single layer where possible.
Cover and simmer gently for 12 to 15 minutes, turning the pieces once, until the shells are vivid orange and the crab meat is opaque.
Stir in the fish sauce, bird’s-eye chilies, and black pepper. Taste the sauce before adding any more seasoning.
Fold in the malunggay leaves and simmer uncovered for 2 minutes. Reduce the sauce briefly if it is thinner than desired.
Remove from the heat, rest for 5 minutes, and serve the crab with plenty of coconut sauce.
Chef’s notes
Ask the fishmonger to clean and quarter the crab if handling live shellfish is unfamiliar.
Crack the thickest part of each claw with the back of a cleaver so diners can reach the meat and the sauce can penetrate.
Keep the coconut milk at a quiet simmer. A hard boil can make the sauce oily and the crab meat firm.
Crab is cooked when the shell is fully orange and the flesh at the joints is opaque; discard any crab that smelled unpleasant before cooking.
Tips and variations
Use mature coconut milk rather than sweetened coconut beverage.
Sitaw cut into 5 cm lengths may be added with the squash for another familiar Filipino variation.
For a richer sauce, replace 200 ml of the coconut milk with coconut cream and add it during the final 5 minutes.
Spinach is a practical substitute when fresh malunggay is unavailable, but add it only at the end.
Serve with
Present the crab in a wide serving bowl with the orange shells visible above the creamy sauce. Provide shell crackers, picks, finger bowls, and extra calamansi at the table.
Storage
Cool leftovers quickly and refrigerate in a covered container for up to 2 days. Reheat only once over low heat until steaming throughout. Do not leave cooked crab at room temperature for more than 2 hours. Freezing is not recommended because the crab meat and coconut sauce lose quality.
Nutrition per serving (estimated)
- 610 kcal
- Calories
- 35 g
- Protein
- 26 g
- Carbohydrates
- 43 g
- Fat
- 5 g
- Fibre
- 8 g
- Sugar
- 980 mg
- Sodium
Allergens
Contains crustaceans and fish from the fish sauce. Coconut is classified as a tree nut in some labeling systems. Check bottled fish sauce for additional allergens or additives.
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Questions
Can I use frozen crab?
Yes. Thaw it safely in the refrigerator, drain well, and use it the same day. Fresh crab gives the cleanest sweetness.
Why did my coconut sauce split?
The heat was probably too high. Keep the sauce below a vigorous boil and stir gently rather than constantly.
Can I omit the squash?
Yes, although kalabasa absorbs the coconut sauce and is common in home-style versions. Replace it with sitaw or use both.
How spicy is ginataang alimango?
It can be mild or hot. Use the finger chilies for aroma and adjust the bird’s-eye chilies to taste.
