Chilli Crab & Seafood Guides

How to order crab by weight, chilli versus black pepper, and the seafood restaurants worth the price.

This section is a chilli crab guide for visitors, with help on Singapore's other seafood dishes too. It explains how crab is priced by weight, how chilli crab differs from black pepper crab and what to order on the side. Use it to plan a seafood dinner with no surprises on the bill.

Want a more casual meal? Our Zi Char list covers home-style Chinese kitchens that cook crab too.

Plan it with EatStays: Chilli Crab & Seafood, best chilli crab in Singapore and Jumbo Seafood (Riverside Point).

New guides are on the way. Browse Food & Drink →

Chilli crab guide: what to know first

Chilli crab is one of Singapore's best-known dishes, and a seafood dinner is a favourite treat for locals. This chilli crab guide explains how to choose a crab, how pricing works and what else to order. A whole crab is stir-fried, then cooked in a thick sauce of tomato, chilli and egg. The sauce is sweet, savoury and only mildly spicy.

Choosing your crab

Most seafood restaurants keep live crabs in tanks. You choose the type and size, and the kitchen cooks it fresh.

Mud crab: the usual choice for chilli crab. It has large claws and sweet, firm meat. Menus sometimes name where it comes from, such as Sri Lanka.
Larger crabs: some restaurants also offer bigger crabs, such as king crab. They cost much more.
Size: one crab of about a kilogram usually feeds two people, with a few side dishes.

Ask staff to show you the crab before it is cooked if you want to check its size.

How crab is priced

Crab is sold by weight, not by the plate. Menus often show a price per kilogram or say 'market price' or 'seasonal price'. These change with supply.

Ask the price per kilogram before you order.
Ask the weight of the crab you are getting.
Agree on the total so the bill holds no surprises.
Check the extras. Wet towels, peanuts and pickles on the table may be charged. Ask staff to take them away if you do not want them.

As a rough guide, a crab dinner for two with buns and a few sides often costs from around S$100 upwards. Most restaurants add a service charge and GST. Prices change, so confirm before you order.

Chilli crab or black pepper crab?

Chilli crab

The sauce is wet, sweet and tangy, with soft ribbons of egg. Order mantou, small Chinese buns served fried or steamed, to mop it up. Choose this if you want something mild and saucy. Find places on our Chilli Crab page.

Black pepper crab

The crab is fried with plenty of cracked black pepper. It is drier and has more of a kick. Choose this if you like bold, peppery food and less sauce.

Other styles

Salted egg crab: coated in a rich, golden sauce made from salted egg yolks.
Crab bee hoon: crab with thin rice noodles, either fried or in a milky broth.

A group can order one chilli crab and one black pepper crab to compare.

Other seafood dishes to order

Cereal prawns: prawns fried with crunchy, buttery cereal flakes.
Steamed fish: a whole fish with soy sauce, ginger and spring onion. It balances the richer dishes.
Sambal stingray: stingray grilled on a banana leaf with spicy sambal, a chilli paste. It is common at hawker barbecue stalls.
Fish head curry: a large fish head in a spicy, tangy curry. See Fish Head Curry.
Oyster omelette: small oysters fried with egg and batter. See Oyster Omelette.

Where to eat seafood

On the river, Jumbo Seafood (Riverside Point) is a short walk from Clarke Quay. Palm Beach Seafood is also in the Marina Bay and CBD area. Long Beach Seafood (Dempsey) is in Dempsey, Tanglin and Holland. In the east, Roland Restaurant is in Katong and Joo Chiat.

For a cheaper, more casual dinner, try a zi char kitchen such as Keng Eng Kee Seafood in the Tiong Bahru and Alexandra area. Some hawker centres also have barbecue seafood stalls. Newton Food Centre is one well-known example.

FAQs about chilli crab

Is chilli crab very spicy?

Not usually. The sauce is more sweet and tangy than hot, so most people who enjoy mild spice find it easy to eat.

How much does chilli crab cost in Singapore?

Crab is priced by weight. A dinner for two with one crab and sides often costs from around S$100. Prices change with the season.

Is chilli crab Singapore's national dish?

Singapore has no official national dish. Chilli crab is often named alongside chicken rice as one of the country's best-known foods.

How do I eat crab without making a mess?

Use the crackers and small forks provided, and start with the claws. Many restaurants offer gloves or bibs. Wear clothes you do not mind staining.

Do I need to book a seafood restaurant?

It is a good idea for dinner, especially at weekends and for riverside tables.