Blue Swimmer Crabs are widely distributed throughout the Indo-West Pacific region and, in Australia, are found from Perth all the way around to southern New South Wales.
They live in a wide range of bays, estuaries and continental shelf areas to depths of 60m and prefer muddy or sandy bottoms.
They are active swimmers and their last pair of legs have actually evolved into paddles, but when not in motion they will bury themselves underneath the bottom leaving only their eyes, antennae, and gills exposed.
Blue swimmer crabs make superb eating. They have a sweet, nutty flavour with a firm, moist and evenly textured flesh making it ideal for pastas, soups, crab cakes, or even in stir-fry's or salads. The meat is translucent when raw but turns white when cooked and the shell will turn a bright orange colour making it a fantastic garnish.
BLUE SWIMMER CRAB PASTA WITH CHILLI, LEMON, GARLIC, AND CORIANDER
This is a very fresh, clean, and light dish and a popular way for using the crab meat. It’s very quick to cook and looks amazing when finished.
1 whole Blue Swimmer Crab
2 Tablespoons chopped onion
1 teaspoon crushed garlic
1 teaspoon sliced chilli
90ml white wine
2 cups cooked fettuccini pasta
Juice of half a small lemon
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 Tablespoons chopped coriander
1. Place the crab in salted boiling water for 4 minutes then cool in cold water.
2. Clean crab and remove meat keeping the claws for garnish.
3. Cook onion in a frypan until soft with little colour.
4. Add garlic and cook for 2 more minutes.
5. Add chilli and again cook for a further 2 minutes being careful not to burn.
6. Add white wine and cook until the liquid reduces in volume by two thirds.
7. Add crab and toss through then remove from heat. The crab will cook very quickly.
8. Add fettuccini, if cold, dip into some boiling water for 1 minute, drain well then add to the crab mix.
9. Toss in the lemon juice and olive oil then finish with the coriander.
BLUE SWIMMER CRAB CAKES
Another popular dish using the Blue Swimmer Crab meat. Serve by themselves with a dipping sauce or add to a salad for an entrée or starter. This recipe will make approximately 12 cakes.
200g blue swimmer crab flesh
1 small chilli, finely diced
2 slices red onion, very finely diced
15 leaves coriander, chopped
½ teaspoon fish sauce
1 teaspoon sea salt
¾ cup bread crumbs
Juice of half a lime
1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl then roll into small balls. Flatten into cakes using the palm of your hand.
TIP: Wetting your hands makes the mix much easier to handle.
2. Cook for approximately 2 minutes each side. These crab cakes cook very quickly and will turn rubbery if over-cooked.
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