INGREDIENTS
• 100g pasteurised jumbo crabmeat (about ½ tub, available at the chiller section of supermarkets)
• 1 green apple
• 2 sprigs fresh coriander leaves
• 2 sprigs fresh mint leaves
• 1 red chilli, sliced
SERVE WITH
• 8 to 12 pieces of shrimp crackers (keropok)
• Or iceberg lettuce leaf cups
DRESSING
• 2 tbs fish sauce
• ½ cup cold water
• 2 tbs sugar or xylitol, less if desired
• Juice from a lemon
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 red chilli
• 1 coriander root
METHOD
• Cut the apple, unpeeled, into matchstick-size pieces. Rinse in salt water or water with a squeeze of lemon juice to prevent the fruit from turning brown.
• Wash and pluck the leaves off the coriander and mint sprigs. Finely chop one coriander root.
• Make the dressing by mixing fish sauce, cold water, sugar and lemon juice. Adjust to taste. Add garlic, chilli and coriander root, all finely chopped.
• To serve, place apple sticks in a glass and top with crabmeat. Garnish with sliced chilli and mint and coriander leaves.
• To eat, place a mound on a keropok or an iceberg lettuce cup and add a drizzle of the dressing.
SERVES 4 TO 6
A healthier twist with iceberg lettuce
Principal dietitian at Raffles Diabetes & Endocrine Centre
Crabmeat is high in protein and low in fat. However, do note that pasteurised crabmeat can also be high in sodium due to the pickling process of the crab before it is sealed in a can and pasteurised.
For a healthier twist, replace the keropok with iceberg lettuce. Keropok provides "empty calories" - it is high in calories, fat and sodium, and has minimal nutrients. Iceberg lettuce, on the other hand, is low in calories and a good source of vitamins A, C, K and folate.
NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION
100g of crabmeat, canned
Calories: 83 kcal
Protein: 17.9g
Total fat: 0.74g
Saturated fat: 0.2g
Carbohydrate: 0g
Fibre: 0g
Cholesterol: 97mg
Sodium: 563mg
Keropok (100g)
Calories: 424 kcal
Total fat: 9.8g
Saturated fat: 4.2g
Sodium: 750mg
Iceberg lettuce (100g)
Calories: 14 kcal
Total fat: 0.1g
Saturated fat: 0g
Sodium: 7mg
Bibi Chia
Principal dietitian at Raffles Diabetes & Endocrine Centre
