Crab with Kampot pepper

Crab is one of our favorites anyway. The aromatic Kampot pepper makes it even more delicious.

Kampot in Cambodia is known for producing the tastiest peppercorns. Thanks to Kampot’s climate, the soil is perfect for growing pepper. Think pepper times a hundred: more aromatic, spicier, richer and even floral. Combine this with freshly caught crab and you have an incredible meal.

Rich flavors

In Kep, about a half-hour drive from Kampot, you’ll find the crab market. As the name suggests, crab is sold here—lots and lots of crab. It’s great to walk around, but even better, of course, to enjoy a large platter of crab with Kampot pepper for next to nothing. Because that’s the specialty here. At Kimly, a restaurant next to the crab market with tables by the sea, I ate the best crab I’ve ever tasted. My fellow diners ordered other dishes, which were also delicious, but nothing compared to the rich and vibrant flavors of the crab with Kampot pepper.

Want to make crab with pepper yourself? FavorFlav found a good recipe on Gourmet Traveler. You can order the dried Kampot pepper online. The fresh variety, which is also fried along with the crab in the restaurant, is a little harder to find. Larger Asian supermarkets do carry fresh green peppercorns, which you can use for this too. These often come from Thailand, but they also give the dish a delicious flavor.