curacha – /ku-rát-tsa/ (Zamboanga and Sulu sea crab, seafood; dw Span. cucaracha [cockroach]) [n.] spanner crab (sc.name: Ranina ranina) \red frog crab.
canduyon in Surigaonon (Surigao City, Surigao del norte)ipis in Zambaleno (Sambal of Zambales)
ipis dagat in Batangueño (northern part of Batangas)
kusimay in Ilocano
pawik in Waray (Northern Samar)
kagang pama or bawa in Tausug
A deep-sea crab with an orange to red colored shell even when uncooked.
In the Philippines, this crab used to be known as endemic to the seas of Zamboanga del Sur and Sulu sea, but my research and later discoveries disproved this contention. Similar or closely-related species are also found in other parts of Mindanao, Visayas (particularly in the Pacific side), and the northeastern part of Luzon, though scarce and hardly seen or caught. Some species are also found thriving on the coasts of Hawaii and Australia.
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So called curacha, from Spanish cucaracha, which means "cockroach," because this crustacean looks like a huge cockroach.
The shell (carapace) of curacha is goblet-shaped, with an average size of about the size of a human palm. Some are twice as big as the average ones. The shell has hairy short bristles on the edges, has a pair of large pincers on the sides that extend toward the front. It also has three sets of legs, two of which are attached to a segmented hard-shelled tail similar to that of a lobster but smaller and shorter.
Watch Youtube video:
curacha - redfrog crab, spanner crab
When cooked, curacaha is more of shells than meat but is highly sought after for its delectable taste.
Unlike most crabs, such as the alimasag and the alimango that walk sideward, curacha only moves forward and backward.
Unlike most crabs, such as the alimasag and the alimango that walk sideward, curacha only moves forward and backward.
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The biggest ones are priced at PHP689.00 a kilogram in 2015 in the Shopwise supermarket of Festival Mall, Alabang, Muntinlupa City. |
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Curacha crabs being sold at the Shopwise supermarket in Festival Mall, Alabang at PHP689.00 a kilogram in 2015.
My Personal Notes:
Many years back, I thought this crab was named after a classic dance with fancy moves. I thought the crab would just move like that or it would be you doing the dancing steps after dining it or when you're pinched by this crab. I was wrong.
I tried also to look for it in the public market of Zamboanga City in my few travels to the Zamboanga peninsula but could hardly find it there these last few years. If I only knew that I could easily find it in the supermarket, a few hundred meters away from my workplace here in Metro Manila, I would not look for this crab that far.
When in Zamboanga, try the Chavacano dish curacha con salsa de gata (spanner crab in coconut cream sauce). [Photo courtesy of Officina de Turismo Local of Zamboanga City Local Government]
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