🇵🇬 Papua New Guinean Cuisine

Coconut Crab

Boiled Coconut Crab

Prep Time 10 min
Servings 2
Difficulty Easy
Calories 306 kcal

The world's largest land arthropod, boiled simply in salted water and served with its rich, coconut-flavored flesh. This rare delicacy from PNG's outer islands is one of the most extraordinary foods on Earth.

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. 1 Fill a large pot with enough water to submerge the crab. Add salt and bring to a rolling boil.
  2. 2 Dispatch the coconut crab humanely by chilling in a freezer for 30 minutes.
  3. 3 Plunge the crab into boiling water. Return to a boil.
  4. 4 Boil 15-20 minutes depending on size until shell turns bright red.
  5. 5 Remove and let cool enough to handle.
  6. 6 Crack legs and body to extract the rich, flavorful meat. Serve with lime wedges.

Did You Know?

Coconut crabs can weigh up to 4kg and have a leg span of nearly a meter. Their flesh tastes like a cross between crab and coconut because they feed primarily on fallen coconuts.