Crab Paste is one of its kind ingredients that can be used in different recipes in different ways. Somehow the recipes of the crab pastes vary from brand to brand and region to region, but one thing that is the same everywhere is the delightful taste and mouth-watering aroma.
Crab paste adds intense and nuanced flavor to the dishes even when it is straight out of the container; therefore, this rich and subtle paste is the winner of many recipes, such as rib-eye steak or roast.
Are you wondering what the best crab pastes are or which recipes you can make from these crab pastes? Then you are at the right place; in this article, we have the 5 best crab pastes for you.
So, undergo this article till the end as we have a lot of helpful stuff for you.
What is a Crab Paste, Anyway?
A crab is a sea creature with eight eyes, a flat body, and claws, and it is found on the sand at beaches. The scientific name of crab is Brachyura, and crabs are eaten as food; it is added to different dishes. Crab paste is also used in many dishes to enhance the dish flavor.
Crab paste is a seasoning made with salt and preserving crab meat in a flavorful focus that can be utilized in various dishes and is associated with Asian Cuisine. Crab paste can also be used to season the dishes of other cultures too.
To prepare crab paste, fresh crab meat is wet fermented with a large amount of salt to keep it bacteria-free. Once it is preserved, it is packed in containers that can be resealed when crab paste is required in small amounts to use. High content in salt keeps the crab paste usable for a long time as it is kept in some cool and dry place.
Crab paste is used in curries, soups, stews, and sauces, and even all around Asia. Crab paste is used to marinate and dress different kinds of food. Fermented crab meat will have a sour taste, while dry one will have a cleaner taste.
Now, you know what crab paste is, how it is used, and in which recipes it is used. Now let’s move toward the “5 best crab pastes”.
Crab Paste and its Association with Asian Cuisine
This condiment is associated with Asian cuisine. And as you well know, Asian culinary art features a mixture of preserved sauces and seafood pastes. Many Asian grocery stores sell this distinct flavorer and a few purveyors.
Aside from using crab paste for Asian dishes, it can also be used for intercontinental seasoning dishes. That means foods from other cultures can even be seasoned without any hassles.
The condiment is the perfect option if you don’t have access to fish paste, anchovies, or other related ingredients.
5 Best Crab Pastes that you should Know
There are different crab pastes to make the dishes more flavorful such as Shippams classic crab paste, crab paste with soya bean oil, Navarro’s crab paste,
Let’s get into the details of these crab pastes.
1: Navarro’s Crab Paste
Navarro crab paste is also known as Taba ng Talangka, and it is a traditional specialty of Pampanga and Masantol that is made with crab meat and fat.
Navarro’s crab paste is used as a side dish and as an ingredient in seafood and other dishes.
Crab paste is complete support to your rice, pasta, and other dishes. Navarro crab paste is imported from the Philippines. The meat and fat of shore crab are used to prepare the paste.
In addition, other ingredients are used, such as coconut oil, cane vinegar, garlic, iodized salt, Annatto seed extract, Monosodium Glutamate, etc.
2: Pantai Crab Paste with Soya Bean Oil
This paste is made in Thailand with extremely high standards by the Aroy-d company, and it can be added to all kinds of Asian soups to enhance the taste. It also goes with fried rice, but some chefs use this paste in their Pad Thai.
The packaging of this paste is in glass jar form. To make this crab paste, many ingredients are used, such as garlic, soya bean oil, the meat of crab, salt, pepper, msg, paprika oleoresin for the color and disodium inosinate, etc.
3: Shippam’s Classic Crab Paste
Shippams crab paste is a spreadable crab sandwich filling, and it can also be used on toast like a crab pate. It is delicious as a jacket topping for potatoes and a quick crab dip recipe.
Shippams’ classic crab paste jar contains small amounts of 70% soft cream cheese, brown crab meat, and other ingredients.
No artificial colors, flavors, or allergens are added to this crab paste. Shippams crab paste also contains a small amount of milk and wheat. Once the jar of crab paste is opened, then you can store it in the freezer with a lid, and it can be used for 3 days.
The crab meat that is added to this crab paste is caught in the NorthEast Atlantic. This crab paste contains 7.7% fat and 1.3% sugar. That is fine.
The ingredients are minced haddock, brown crab meat, water, tomato puree, soy protein, potato starch, etc. further ingredients are lemon juice, salt, black pepper, onion powder, chili powder, and paprika extract for color.
4: Lee Brand Spicy Crab Paste
This crab paste is the product of Thailand, and it is made up of 22% crab meat, soya bean oil, onion, water, salt, garlic, and monosodium glutamate, etc.
In addition, there are other ingredients too, such as tomato paste, soy sauce in which salt, wheat, and soya bean are included, chili, paprika color, tartaric acid, and modified corn starch.
It comes in 200g in packaging, and the serving size is 1 tablespoon 15g. It contains 2% Vitamin C, 4% Calcium, 2% Iron, sugar 2g, and proteins 1g. Other nutritional facts include Sodium 680 mg, which is 28%, and Carbohydrates 2g but 1%.
5: Por Kwan Crab Paste with Soya Bean Oil
This crab paste of Por Kwan is made by fermenting the crushed shrimp, and it is used to give a deep fermented flavor to rice and curry dishes. It comes in a 200g glass jar, which can play an essential role in your dishes to make them more flavorful.
To prepare this, many ingredients are used, such as crab meat 32%, soya bean oil, garlic, pepper, salt, soya sauce powder, water, paprika extract for color, and monosodium glutamate.
5 Best Recipes with Crab Paste
Crab paste is used in many dishes such as Filipino garlic fried rice, pasta with crab paste, crab paste grilled rib eye, spicy crab with soybean paste, Thai pomelo, crab pasta salad, etc.
1: Filipino Garlic Fried Rice With Crab Paste
Fried rice actually resembles Chinese fried rice with small pieces of meat and vegetables. In this recipe, all the ingredients are fried until the grains of rice glisten with the infused oil of garlic. Crab paste is added for richer garlic fried rice, and this paste comes from Talangka.
This recipe is made with minced garlic, grated ginger, chopped shallots, vegetable oil, and crab paste. There are other ingredients as well, such as lemon juice, salt, cooked rice, and one medium scallion that is optional.
2: Crab Paste Grilled Ribeye
A Jarred Crab paste adds more flavor to this recipe without any effort, and a marbled eye does not need much to shine. Many ingredients in this recipe are also used to make recipes, such as vegetable oil, bone-in ribeye, salt, pepper, etc.
Other ingredients are also used, such as scallions, garlic cloves, lemongrass stalk, ginger, and shrimp paste. After cutting the meat from the bone, you can serve it and slice it against the grain ½ thickness.
3: Spicy Crab With Soya Bean Oil
This recipe of spicy crab with soya bean oil is quick and easy to make. To prepare this effortless recipe, you need crabs, soya bean paste, chili, shallot, garlic, sugar, etc other ingredients are required, such as water, oil, and sweet soy.
4: Thai Pomelo and Crab Pasta Salad
It is also known as Tam Som Oh, a Thai dish, and it features different flavors subject to personal preferences. To make this dish, you need to take a pomelo slightly on the tart side.
Remember that an unpeeled pomelo weighing four pounds will produce two pounds of flesh approximately.
To prepare this Thai pomelo and crab pasta salad recipe, you need dried shrimp, pomelo, red Thai chiles, fresh lemongrass, northern-styled black crab paste, etc.
There are other ingredients as well, such as unfiltered fish sauce, palm sugar, Thai eggplants, fresh lime juice, vegetables, and steamed Thai sticky rice.
5: Pasta with Crab Paste
It is also called Taba ng Talangka, which is carb fat from tiny crabs. This pasta is made with crab paste and with other ingredients too. You can add savory crab paste to pasta, sprinkle the citrus, and garnish it with tart slices of green mango.
The ingredients used in this recipe are pappardelle pasta, fresh shrimps peeled, Calamansi or lemon juice, vegetable oil, garlic minced, etc.
Other ingredients are Taba ng Talangka, salt, black pepper, and tart slices of green mango.
5 Benefits of Eating Crab Paste
Crab offers many benefits after eating it because it provides all the seafood appeal. There are varieties of crab such as Dungeness, Alaskan King, but the Crustacean is eaten worldwide.
China is the world’s largest exporter of crabs; whereas, the US consumes and imports more crabs.
1: Potential Health Benefits
Carbs are full of proteins that are essential for maintaining muscle, and they also contain some other nutrients as well such as omega-3 fatty acids, selenium, and Vitamin B612.
These nutritional factors of carbs help improve health and prevent different chronic conditions.
2: Improve Heart’s Health
Omega-3 fatty acids are good for the health of the heart, and these nutrients aid in lowering triglycerides, may cause the reduction of blood clotting, and make it less likely that you’ll produce an irregular heartbeat.
3: Prevent Anemia
Nutrients such as Vitamin B612 and folate aid in decreasing the risk of vitamin deficiency anemia. People who are facing vitamin deficiency anemia do not possess healthy red blood cells.
They may face weakness and fatigue because of the deficiency.
4: Help to Keep Your Brain Strong
The one who eats seafood at least once a week reduces the risks of diseases such as dementia and Alzheimer’s. This protection is because omega-3 fatty acids included in crabs and crabs also reduce inflammation in neutral paths.
5: May Boost Immune System
Selenium that is included in crabs plays a vital role in our immune system, thyroid hormone production, and metabolism as well. People who face the problems of thyroid hormones are familiar with having low levels of Selenium.
Frequently Asked Questions
● What Kind of Crab is in Crab Paste?
A typical Thai crab paste, driven by the Thai brand Pantai. The label shows that the crabs are being caught in the Pacific ocean.
● Should Crab Paste be Refrigerated?
To protect the crab paste from spoiling, you must keep it in the refrigerator.
● How Long Does Crab Paste Last?
At room temperature, the shelf life of crab paste is 1 week; if you place the crab paste in the refrigerator, it becomes 1 month. By keeping it in the fridge, it can stay in good condition for 3 months.
● What are Nutritional Facts of Crabs?
Carbs contain high nutrients as other seafood do, such as Vitamin B612, Folate, Iron, Niacin, Selenium, and zinc. They contain low levels of mercury as compared to marlin, swordfish, tuna, and grouper.
One cup of cooked carbs offers 97 calories, 21 gm of protein, and less than 1 gm of fat. However, it provides zero gm of sugar, fiber, and carbohydrates.
● How to Make Fried Rice with Crab Fat Paste?
Aligue fried rice or Crab fat fried rice is eaten with Somali pork. To make this rice, you can heat the oil first and then fry the fish balls and squid. On your choice, you can stir in the garlic and fry that a bit more.
The next step is, to add the crab fat paste and corn. Cook everything for 3 minutes or wait until everything is heated through; keep stirring occasionally. Keep the heat normal!
● What Kind of Oil to Use for Crab Fat Paste?
Actually, the annatto oil is used in crab fat paste that gives the yummy orange color to the paste; you can season it with a little pepper and salt; moreover, if you want to make the paste spicy, you can add cayenne to it.
● How to Make Crab Fat Paste with Gambas?
- Take a skillet, and heat the oil and butter.
- Saute the garlic for a minute.
- Keep stirring the shrimps, and then it is time to season them with cayenne pepper, black pepper, and thyme.
- When you notice that the shrimps are changing color, you need to stir in the crab fat paste and the gambas mix.
- Stir in the parsley and mix every ingredient well.
- Take another minute for cooking, and then remove the pot from the heat.
● What Is Imitation Crab?
Fresh crab is a bit expensive; thus, many crab lovers use imitation crab paste as a substitute. As it is an imitated crab, it doesn’t contain crab meat but its extracts. Well, imitation crab is made from Surmi but its main ingredient is fish.
Pollock is mild in color and odor; it is mostly used to make surimi. The packaging of crab-like items is basically labeled as: “crab-flavored seafood,” “imitation crab,” or “surimi seafood;” meanwhile, govt.’s all labeling rules are also followed. In Japan, Surimi-based products are called kamaboko.
One more thing; in restaurants, imitation crab is mentioned as “krab” to indicate that it is an imitation of real crab.
Summary: Imitation crab is formed by Surmi, which is basically a minced fish flesh. It is often made up of pollock, which is washed and combined with other ingredients; moreover, it is heated and converted into crab-like cuts.
Conclusion
Crab pastes have tons of potential for your kitchen, but you cannot buy any of the random crab paste for your recipes. The real, accurate, and best crab paste can increase your foods’ taste manifolds; moreover, you can easily measure how much quantity you need to add to your recipe.
Thus, to save you from local and low-quality crab pastes, we have filtered the best ones for you; additionally, we have also mentioned some more effortless recipes that you can try with crab paste.
So, nobody can stop you from your creativity.