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Main course Fish & Seafood

Food Flavour DNA

Nutritional Values

🔥510kcal
💪48gProtein
🌾18gCarbs
🥑26gFat
🌿4gFibre
⚖️500 gServing

* Per serving · 500 g. May vary.

Allergens

🦐 Shellfish

Whitsunday Mud Crab

How to order / say it
Say it Chilli Mud Crab — [mudd krab]
Order Could I have the Whitsunday mud crab, please?
Say locally

Sweet local mud crab cooked in a fragrant chilli, garlic, and tomato sauce.

Why try it?

Mud crab represents the tropical estuary environment surrounding Airlie Beach and the Whitsundays. Sharing a whole crab is a convivial local seafood ritual, especially at waterfront tables.

How it tastes

The crab is sweet and succulent, while the sauce is garlicky, savoury, and gently hot. Cracking the shell releases a rich marine aroma and makes the meal satisfyingly hands-on.

Origin & History — first documented: 1975

Mud crab cookery became prominent in Airlie Beach as seafood restaurants grew with Whitsunday tourism from the 1970s onward. The surrounding mangrove creeks and estuaries supported regional crab fisheries. Chilli, garlic, and tomato preparations became common in tropical Queensland restaurant cooking during the late 20th century. Whole mud crab remains one of the area’s most recognizable celebratory seafood meals.

Recipe

Ingredients

  • 🦐 1 kg mud crab
  • 🥕 300 g tomatoes
  • 🧄 4 cloves garlic
  • 🧂 20 g ginger
  • 🧂 1 red chilli
  • 🫒 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 🍋 1 lime
  • 🌿 20 g coriander

Method

  1. 1 Clean and crack the crab into manageable sections, reserving the shell pieces.
  2. 2 Sauté garlic, ginger, and chilli in oil until fragrant.
  3. 3 Add tomatoes and simmer for 8 minutes to make a thick sauce.
  4. 4 Add crab, cover, and cook for 10 to 12 minutes until heated through.
  5. 5 Finish with lime and coriander, then serve with shell crackers.

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