Crabs and Spotted Crabs: Indonesia

By Barrie | August 29th, 2007 | No Comments

I haven’t been along the northern coast of Central Java for about three years, but hearing my cousin talking about the succulent regional seafood, I remember the crabs and spotted crabs abundantly available when passing Cirebon in West Java to the east, near the small town of Brebes in Central Java as gastronome and epicurean el supremo Suryatini N. Ganie explains.

All along the way were women selling the creatures by the basketful.

After Sholat Maghrib (the early evening prayer), the fishermen go to the beach equipped with various devices needed to catch the crabs and another variety of spotted crab (respectively named kepiting and rajungan in Indonesian), like a petromak (kerosene lamp), bubu (a kind of fishing rod and a basket) and kepis (a basket for seafood).

They said crabs and spotted crabs were attracted by light and moved toward it. They further informed me that crabs and spotted crabs are nocturnal animals.

After being caught in the bubu, the crabs are bundled with a thin rope and put into the kepis, which has been given a moist straw base.

They sell the crabs boiled because they deteriorate quickly. Even though the crabs are ready for consumption, I suggest that buyers boil them once again at home because for those who do not eat them regularly it is not advisable to eat them directly.

I am told the most delicious spotted crabs are the female ones, especially when they are in the process of hatching: Their meat will be sweet and soft. The female spotted crab can lay eggs all year round, but especially in July (during the first change of the seasons), September (the second change) and December.

On those months the female spotted crab still has eggs attached to the inside of its shell. An obvious difference between male and female spotted crabs is the color of their shells.

The male has a bluish shell with clear white spots while the female is greenish with dark spots. There are four kinds of spotted crab on the northern coast of Java, namely rajungan karang (rock spotted crab), rajungan hijau (green spotted crab), rajungan air (water spotted crab) and rajungan angin (windswept spotted crab)

Kepiting or crab (Scylla serata Forskal) is known by its large claws and its shell is dark green. The claws contain the succulent meat. The back legs are flat and are used for swimming. Kepiting are found all over Indonesia.

Muddy beaches, brackish waters or the mouth of the rivers are preferred places.

There, the crabs make watery holes. In many places along the north coast in Central Java people consume crabs and spotted crabs most often and a variety of dishes are prepared because mostly they have a neutral taste and can be combined with various spices.

At a small fisher harbor, the local speciality was boiled shellfish combined with a handful of chopped ginger, tomatoes and sweet soy sauce.The dish was eaten with steamed rice and some salted duck eggs from Brebes, which is famous for its sea salt-preserved duck eggs.

The price of fresh crabs and spotted crabs varies and the later in the day, the cheaper they become. By late afternoon, the shellfish is beginning to deteriorate and gives off a rather distinctive smell.

If you are keen on fresh flavor and taste then go to the coast in the early evening for raw shellfish and early morning for the boiled variety.

A famous expert on fish and shellfish once said that fish should smell like the tide. When they smell like fish, it’s too late (The Great Fish & Seafood Cookbook, Judith Ferguson).

How right she is!

Suryatini N. Ganie