Crab menu in Dagupan City

In the late 1990s, we at work, frequented Dagupan City and on some occasions stayed overnight.  When there, it's often that seafood comes to my mind because of the variety they have there and special ways on how they prepare them.  My favorites there since the 1970s, were Sinigang na Malaga, Sugpo (Prawns) and Talaba (Oysters).  Their style of cooking has advanced as much as technology.  When we dined at Bonuan, Tondaligan at the outskirts of  Dagupan where restaurants and diners abound, that was my first time to encounter a crab menu.

Spicy Crab

Being fond of spicy food, I went for the Spicy Crab.  Served in a shallow bowl because it was cooked with Gata (coconut milk) and literally sitting on an inch-high of spicy sauce!  It was a large crab and I thought I would not be able to finish it all.  I started man-handling it.  The shell had a very generous crab fat which I immediately mixed with the steaming rice on my plate.  Then, added spoonfuls of the sauce.  It was a really delicious meal that the Spicy Crab is now on the top of my favorites when in Dagupan. 

Common Philippine Crabs

Curiosity made me search online and research crustacean cook books about crabs.  Unfortunately there was so little about edible crabs and if common Philippine crabs would have those that thrive in freshwater.  Wikipedia only described and distinguished four of them:  Alimango (Mud or Mangrove Crab); Alimasag (Blue or Spider Crab); Talangka (Shore or River Crab) and the Katang (Fresh water Crab).  Both Talangka and Katang are much smaller related to the Alimango.

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The Alimango is the largest among the four kinds of crabs.  Having large pincers is the easiest way to distinguish them from the Alimasag.  Their shell is thicker and tougher to crack.   They can really grow large and I have seen at the Palawan Iwahig Penal Colony inmates selling them almost the size of dinner plates!  The crabs are caught or trapped in rice paddies of the colony.  With this I can conclude that those are freshwater crabs because rice would not grow in saltwater paddies.

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The Alimasag is relatively smaller than the alimango with slender pincers and thinner shell.  It has more meat and 'less compartments' containing them compared to the alimango.  The 'compartments' are very thin shell-like within a crab when you open them.  The pincers are easy to crack by even just biting through them. 

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The Talangka and Katang are small look-alikes of the Alimasag.  Many Filipinos simply love the fat extract of these crabs preserved and sold in wide-mouthed bottles.  Another recipe liked by some is the Burong (Pickled) Talangka.

The regular way in cooking the crabs is simple.  While fresh put them inside a covered cookware, salt them generously to bring out their flavor then heat over medium fire.  They would be ready to eat once their top shell has turned orange in color.