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Curacha is a type of crab found only off the coast of Zamboanga in the Philippines. It is bright red and has a large amount of meat. It can be prepared by steaming, boiling, or frying with spices and coconut milk sauce.
Curacha is a type of crab found exclusively off the coast of Zamboanga in the southern Philippines. They are bright red in color and contain a large amount of meat. The most popular way to prepare curacha is to simply steam or boil it, savoring the meat with very little spice to detract from the flavor, though small amounts of garlic or onions are usually added during cooking. The crabs are generally less expensive than other crabs native to the region and are served in many restaurants around the country, although they are available year-round in Zamboanga. Crab meat is very tough and has a slightly stronger flavor than that of more traditional crab meats.
The curacha is a relatively large creature with a large, broad body that tapers to the rear in a series of segments that look like a shortened lobster tail. The claws are large but very flat and contain little meat. The crab is bright red with a white belly and pink tones around the sides; does not change color during cooking. There are curacha-like species known as the red crab and frog crab that can be found all along the western edge of the Pacific, although they are only relatives and have a few differences. The name curacha is a local word meaning “cockroach,” most likely because the crab’s legs look similar to the legs of a cockroach, with small hair-like structures protruding from them.
A classic preparation for curacha is to simmer it in a sauce to which some light flavors have been added. This can include garlic, ginger, salt and pepper. It is suggested that, for this recipe, the crab be left intact rather than opened or split.
Another recipe calls for steaming the crab, sometimes together with onions or shallots and garlic. In this method, the crab can be left whole or quartered, because they are very large crabs with a lot of bulk in the body, which contains most of the meat. The paws and claws, which don’t contain much meat, can be removed and cooked separately.
It is also possible to cook curacha by halving or cutting the crab and then frying it with chillies, oil, garlic and ginger. The finished crab can then be served with a reduced spiced coconut milk sauce poured over with rice on the side. The meat has a strong enough flavor that it can tolerate a good level of heat and a thick, rich gravy with lots of fat.
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