Nana & Uncle Greg’s Garlic and White Wine Crabs

Growing up, my dad spent his summers at Long Beach Island, New Jersey. At first, it was just for one week a year with Nana and Pop-Pop, but once they saved up for a small boat, they began spending every single weekend staying onboard at the marina.

One of my dad’s favorite parts of those weekends was taking the boat across the bay to visit Nana’s cousin, Uncle Greg. Uncle Greg is a professional chef, so whenever he and Nana teamed up in the kitchen, the food was incredible.

This recipe was born on one of those weekend visits. After catching dozens of blue claw crabs in the lagoons near Uncle Greg’s house, it was time to cook. In New Jersey, almost everyone boils crabs with Old Bay seasoning. But Uncle Greg wanted to try something different. He showed Nana a brand-new method: heating up olive oil and a ton of fresh garlic in a large frying pan, tossing in the fresh crabs, and stirring them around until they were coated in garlic. Then, he poured in a splash of white wine, letting the crabs simmer low and slow so they absorbed all that rich, savory garlic flavor.

It was an instant hit, and Nana has cooked crabs this way ever since. When she came to visit us in Singapore, she even showed us how to make the exact same garlic and wine sauce using the massive local mud crabs. Wow, it is so good! Nana always toasts fresh bread so we can mop up every last drop of the sauce. Whether we’re using blue claw crabs in New Jersey or mud crabs in Singapore, this is hands-down my favorite way to eat crab!

Nana Kodi

Nana and Uncle Greg’s Garlic Crabs

Fresh crabs sautéed in rich olive oil and loads of minced garlic, then simmered in a light white wine sauce. Perfect for serving with warm, crusty bread to mop up every drop!

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Prep Time 25 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Servings: 4 people

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian-American, Seafood

Calories: 380

Ingredients Equipment Method

Ingredients

  

• 2 each 800g-1,000g mud crabs (or half a dozen blue claw crabs)
• 2-3 bulbs fresh garlic
• 3-4 tbsp olive oil
• 1-1.5 cup white wine
• 1 loaf french bread (optional)

Equipment

• 1 Deep sided frying pan or wok
• 1 Large mixing spoon
• 1 Garlic mincer or food processor
• 1 Gas or electric stove top
• 1 Baking tray (for bread – optional)
• 1 Oven (for bread – optional)

Method

 

1. Prep ingredients – peel and mince garlic, portion olive oil and white wine
   
2. Kill and clean crabs
3. (Optional) slice bread, place on baking pan and toast in the oven for 6-8 minutes
   
4. heat frying pan, add oil and garlic. Let garlic begin to golden then add crab pieces
5. Once crab is partially cooked (2-4 minutes), add white wine, stir, cover and simmer crab until cooked (2-4 minutes)
6. Remove lid, check crab is fully cooked, remove from heat and serve