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Crabs with Guava Sauce
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5 from 1 vote

How to Cook Crabs in Guava Sauce

Crabs in guava sauce is a savory Filipino seafood dish featuring tender crabs simmered in a sweet, tangy, and aromatic guava-infused sauce.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Course: Seafood Recipe
Cuisine: Filipino
Keyword: blue crabs recipe, crabs in guava sauce, mudcrab recipe, sesafood recipe
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 354kcal
Author: Manny

Ingredients

  • 1 kilo fresh alimango mudcrabs or alimasag, blue swimmer crabs
  • 1/2 to 3/4 kilo ripe guavas
  • 1 1/2 cup water divided
  • 1 Tbsp. cooking oil
  • 1 Tbsp. garlic minced
  • 1 Tbsp. rock salt
  • 1 Tbsp. sugar

Instructions

How to Cook Crabs With Guava Sauce

  • Wash live crabs. Cut each crab into two, crosswise. Save the crab fat.
  • Pare guavas and slice each guava in half.
  • Scoop out the seeds and set aside the guava meat.
  • Transfer seeds to saucepan. Add 1/4 cup water and boil.
  • Strain guava broth to separate from seeds.
  • Heat saucepan with oil and saute garlic until light brown.
  • Add guava meat, guava broth, crab meat, crab fat and the rest of the water.
  • Put salt and sugar and allow to boil until crabs are cooked around 20 minutes.
  • Serve hot. Serves 8.

Notes

Cooking Tips:

Choose Heavy, Fresh Crabs

Choose live crabs that feel heavy for their size, as they usually have more meat and a fuller flavor. If using blue crabs instead of mudcrabs, pick the largest ones available for better meat-to-shell ratio. Fresh crabs should have a clean ocean-like smell and firm shells without an unpleasant odor.

Extract More Flavor From the Guava

Boiling the guava seeds with water helps draw out their fruity aroma and flavor for a more flavorful sauce. Strain the broth thoroughly before adding it to the pan so the tough seeds do not end up in the finished dish. Use ripe, fragrant guavas for a naturally sweet and slightly tangy sauce.

Brown the Garlic Carefully

Sauté the garlic until lightly golden to develop a deeper aroma and subtle sweetness that complements the crab and guava. Keep the heat moderate because garlic can quickly go from golden to burnt, which can make the sauce bitter. Once the garlic is lightly browned, add the remaining ingredients promptly to prevent it from cooking further.