chilli crabs

A form of chilli crab — A dish originated and popularized in Singapore, made up of stir-fried crab cooked in a semi-thick sweet and savoury tomato- and chilli-based sauce.

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Meanings

noun
  1. pluralplural of chilli crab

    Chili Crabs or Lobster: This is a popular dish amongst Singaporeans. It is also a common feature in the menus of famous seafood restaurants (along East Coast and Punggol).

    2009, Beatrice Donofrio, 1000+ Indigenous Tasty Cusine of 23 Asian Countries-Comes with Food for Thought, page 565
    2 more examples

    Many Singaporeans have fond memories of eating chilli crabs and cockles at its Upper East Coast Road premises, not far from the old Bedok Road, as recently as the early ‘ 80s.

    1996 June 23, Magdalene Lum, The Straits Times

    Considered an unofficial national dish of Singapore, chilli crabs are far messier than the black pepper variation thanks to the thick sweet-and-savory, tomato-based sauce in which it’s slathered.

    2013, unknown author, Expat Edna, [blog entry]
Cite this entry
APA

chilli crabs. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/chilli%20crabs

MLA

“chilli crabs.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/chilli%20crabs. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “chilli crabs,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/chilli%20crabs.

Source: chilli crabs on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.