I love LOVE loooooove to eat crab. All types of crab. But, one of my favourite would definitely be the blue swimmer (or flower crab)… probably ranking 2^nd right after the hairy crab!

Yesterday my dad got a big load of freshly caught blue swimmer crabs from a friend. We had a huge crab feast. We took 4 big ones to be steam with ginger and egg white and another 4 stir fry with curry and egg. It was awesome. So fresh and sweet.

There were still 8 huge ones left in the icebox. The problem with blue swimmers is if you don’t cook them immediately, their meat and texture deteriorate over time (quite quickly too). So, what I did was I bring a huge pot to boil. Throw in a small spoon of salt (not too much since seafood has that natural sea saltiness). No OIL please.

Clean the crab carefully especially around the area where the legs connect to their shell. Some like to cut of their sharp pointy legs (to allow for easy storage). But, I’m too lazy to do that since it was already 9pm by then.

Throw in the crabs and they will immediately turn red. Don’t be full. It’s not cooked yet! Remember the crabs have pretty solid shell. And since I’m cooking them whole, it needs to be in the water boiling for at least 20mins (depending on the size also).

Once they are cook, take it out to cool for at least 1 hour… or more. Maybe place it under the fan. Try not to leave it out for more than 3 hours. Once the crabs have cooled down and dry off.

I wrapped each crab individually in glad-wrap. Wrap on several layers and ensure they are tightly wrapped (to have at little air as possible inside). After that I place a few crabs into one ziplock bag. These are good to throw into the freezer. This way, you can keep the crab in the freezer for the next 2-3months.

When you feel like having a crab, just bring one or two out from the freezer and allow it to thaw in the fridge overnight (at least 24 hours). NEVER thaw the crab in room temperature.

I love eating cold crab. I think eating crab cold is the BEST way to get the maximum crab essence. Usually I make some sort of vinegarish dipping sauce to go with it. Below is the recipe… It’s super easy to make

Vinegarish dipping sauce for my cold crab

• 5 tbsp of balsamic vinegar
• 5 tbsp of olive oil (some prefer more)
• 1 tbsp of soya sauce
• 3 tbsp of honey
• Pinch of salt
• Plentiful pepper
• A Generous dash of oregano and basil.
• Sliced/Julienne ginger (optional – but ginger are awesome with crab)

I was taught to always try and eat crab with vinegar. The reason is because crabs are very ‘cooling’ / yin for the body. So, consuming vinegar with crab helps to balance it back. OR, you can always enjoy your crab with a good glass of wine! 😉

So now I have some awesome stock of blue swimmer freezing in my freezer. Anytime I feel like having a crab, it’s there !

Anytime after week 16, the good doctor should be able to see the gender of your baby. Unless, the baby manages to maneuver into position and hides it from the scanner view. We have some friends who can’t find out until as late as week 30.

Around week 19 when I was due for a check-up, our doc manages to get a good scan. But, he’s careful to check if we would like to know or wait to be surprised. LOL…

I’m a control freak, so, OF COURSE I want to know!

Doc asked me if I prefer girl or boy… Immediately I told him GIRL please. ..quickly Follow by “I’m happy as long as the baby the healthy and safe”. When the Doc got the correct image, he ask if I can tell if baby is boy or girl? My answer was right, and come to think of it, it was pretty clear and it’s not hard for an amateur (first time mum) to tell.

He told us that nowadays many parents opt not to know. So, he has to be really careful even during routine scan… like the doc might just say, he / she is good. He/she is growing well…and etc. So, it’s really not so easy sometimes. Or, certain angle of the scan might just show you immediately the gender.

If you really want to keep it a surprise, a good idea would be to keep reminding your doctor, even during the normal routine check.

Once I find out the gender of our LO, I was happily shopping away. Hehehe…