Steamed Mantis shrimp with rice anyone?
By louievill
@louievill (28851)
Philippines
February 5, 2016 7:41pm CST
I had steamed mantis shrimp or " alupihan dagat" (sea centipede) for dinner. It's a seasonal exotic food here, we do not usually eat this cause my mother is from the southern Philippines and they do not eat this there, only tasted this when here when I was a teen and developed a liking similar to prawns and lobster.
We eat this with native lemon ( in the picture), lemon butter sauce or vinegar soy dip. Now do you have this where you are? What is it called and do you also eat them? Would you be willing to taste or have some?
36 people like this
36 responses
@louievill (28851)
• Philippines
28 Mar 16
@rakski so have you tried it? Do you have or eat this where you are?
@louievill (28851)
• Philippines
6 Feb 16
It tastes delicious
, its like meat of the "sipit" or crabs claw, try it with lemon butter sauce. The big ones are quite expensive if based on Philippine standards if eaten in a restaurant so we just buy fresh and cook ourselves. I have tried eating those insects too if they are clean from the provinces, adobo style
, its like meat of the "sipit" or crabs claw, try it with lemon butter sauce. The big ones are quite expensive if based on Philippine standards if eaten in a restaurant so we just buy fresh and cook ourselves. I have tried eating those insects too if they are clean from the provinces, adobo style4 people like this
@louievill (28851)
• Philippines
6 Feb 16
I remember when i first tasted this, we were invited to this sea food party by my late father's friend from one of he's civic organizations, we ate prawns, squids, oysters, mussels etc...then saw this on the table and we were all like " ugh what's this?", this was in Cavite were they have a lot of catch, we tried it and it's not bad, no different from crabs or lobsters
, this was in Cavite were they have a lot of catch, we tried it and it's not bad, no different from crabs or lobsters2 people like this
@salonga (27775)
• Philippines
6 Feb 16
@louievill i just can't stand its appearance, it looks like a long cockroach 
4 people like this
@louievill (28851)
• Philippines
7 Feb 16
@salonga It looks more like a praying mantis, it looks like it's long lost cousin, the similarity is so striking that it made me think that probably it adopted to land and bacame the praying mantis
1 person likes this
@infatuatedbby (94914)
• United States
6 Feb 16
I never had this before. I eat Shrimp and Lobster though!
3 people like this
@infatuatedbby (94914)
• United States
6 Feb 16
@louievill I am not quite a fan of sushi. I like some sushi that isn't raw.
1 person likes this
@louievill (28851)
• Philippines
6 Feb 16
It's no different, the looks scared me the first time I tried it, there are some sushi that use this as topping but I'm not sure if you like sushi too.
1 person likes this
@louievill (28851)
• Philippines
7 Feb 16
similar but more like lobster or crab meat in texture, exotic but easier on the pocket cause it's a little bit cheaper than large prawns
1 person likes this
@changjiangzhibin89 (16822)
• China
10 Feb 16
I have eaten it .There is no mantis shrimp where I live .I ate it when I took a trip to coastal region on business .The locals called it "xiagu",dipped vinegar before eating it .
2 people like this
@louievill (28851)
• Philippines
10 Feb 16
Yes my friend, it tastes very good but sort of hard to find especially when you are far from the sea, and I'm surprised that all of the Filipinos who responded have never tasted or seen
Dipped in vinegar is also one way to eat it here, looks like you are the first one here who has really tried and eaten one besides me
Dipped in vinegar is also one way to eat it here, looks like you are the first one here who has really tried and eaten one besides me1 person likes this
@changjiangzhibin89 (16822)
• China
11 Feb 16
@louievill Oh ,there are some people there who haven't eaten it .I remember shelling it would took some doing .
@1hopefulman (45120)
• Canada
15 Feb 16
I'm not sure that I would eat that, they look creepy.
1 person likes this
@1hopefulman (45120)
• Canada
16 Feb 16
@louievill You are probably right. It was just that it was the first time I saw it. 
1 person likes this
@louievill (28851)
• Philippines
15 Feb 16
Everything you are not used to eating is creepy, pork and beef is creepy to a large population of the world that practices not eating it LOL!
1 person likes this
@hereandthere (45645)
• Philippines
28 Mar 16
i remember eating steamed alupihan dagat (sea centipede) when i was young and liked them. we just dipped them in vinegar. i don't see them in the wet markets anymore but assume they're still available in the province.
1 person likes this
@louievill (28851)
• Philippines
28 Mar 16
There are still plenty in the coastal area, think thats where they thrive, by coastal i mean the coastal road upto zapote, bacoor, and binakayan, there are plenty when in season but not as big as before
@louievill (28851)
• Philippines
28 Mar 16
@hereandthere they are really smaller now, i think they grow big when there is like a red tide and no body eats, same with other shellfish, so they grow big after the scourge is over, season i think is Sept. To Nov. There are shellfish in shallow and deep waters but those in the shallow does not taste as good
1 person likes this
@hereandthere (45645)
• Philippines
28 Mar 16
@louievill true, they seem to be bigger back then, or maybe it's because i was smaller, too? haha.
when are they in season? i heard that shrimps, crabs and mussels are found in shallow water, too. is it true?
1 person likes this
@silvermist (19702)
• India
1 Mar 16
@louievill No I have not tasted this.I like prawns and crab.But I do not think I could taste it.
1 person likes this
@louievill (28851)
• Philippines
1 Mar 16
You will have to start somewhere, when we were kids we had to learn to eat crabs and prawns, this is no different
1 person likes this
@silvermist (19702)
• India
2 Mar 16
@louievill Actually,I have never seen this for sale here.
1 person likes this
@louievill (28851)
• Philippines
7 Feb 16
, I understand, a lot of Filipinos even if it's all around in the market don't even know how to cook or eat it, probably because the looks is very intimidating. I taught my late grandmother how to eat it when she was already 70 years old and told me "not bad" and cooked it for us when ever it was available (it's seasonal)
@Dragonairy1 (1722)
• Newcastle Upon Tyne, England
12 Feb 16
No, I don't like food to look quite so alive, plus I don't like seafood. I showed my husband the photo and he said he's willing if it's a type of prawn.
1 person likes this
@louievill (28851)
• Philippines
12 Feb 16
You are not the first one to comment that it looks so alive, most Westerners would look at it that way as compared to how Asians look at it ( that's why we have dishes like lechon, fish head soup etc..). Your husband seems to be adventurous, it's more like lobster and crayfish rather than prawns
1 person likes this
@Dragonairy1 (1722)
• Newcastle Upon Tyne, England
12 Feb 16
@louievill he'd love it then he loves lobster, he catches them in pots in the sea sometimes then boils them alive before he eats them 
1 person likes this
@TheHorse (221663)
• Walnut Creek, California
12 Feb 16
@louievill It looks like a bug. But I'd probably try it.
1 person likes this
@Missmwngi (12915)
• Nairobi, Kenya
8 Feb 16
No,we don't have such here and would be hesitant to taste
2 people like this
@louievill (28851)
• Philippines
8 Feb 16
Do you have something similar like crayfish or lobster? Oh well I can't blame you for being reluctant, a lot even Filipinos are but it's really delicious if you are a seafood lover and love exotic dishes
1 person likes this
@louievill (28851)
• Philippines
4 Apr 16
Perhaps it is better served like prawn to some, de shelled, head and legs removed, only the lower shell and meat remaining, served on a platter and covered with something like lemon butter sauce
1 person likes this
@CaptAlbertWhisker (32748)
• Calgary, Alberta
18 Apr 16
I love them in coconut milk. These critters are fierce predators. they can kill oysters and snails with hard shells
1 person likes this
@louievill (28851)
• Philippines
18 Apr 16
Oh yes I have seen the you tube video, been eating these for years but never ever gave it a thought that they were such fierce predators to creatures their size, though I als]ready had a hint to the way the body and armor evolved, perhaps weapons maker could get an idea from them
@louievill (28851)
• Philippines
7 Feb 16
I understand, It's a matter of what we are used to, I read somewhere that from birth up to a certain age, a certain diet or food preparation is what we would consider normal or acceptable, I have met quite a number of Westerners who don't even like to eat fish with heads and as you mentioned they still look like real creatures (which they are) Asians look at it in a different way so to each his own
1 person likes this
@jaboUK (64354)
• United Kingdom
7 Feb 16
@louievill I have a Thai daughter-in-law and she eats fried insects etc - yuk!
1 person likes this
@brokenbee (11090)
• Philippines
11 Feb 16
We eat that. Hihihi I didn't know it's called mantis shrimp. We call it kising kising. And it is believed to cure those kids who pee in bed. LOL
1 person likes this
@louievill (28851)
• Philippines
13 Feb 16
I have heard of that urban legend, very few Filipinos seem to know , seen much less eat it, seems like there's only 2 of us here LOL. Kising kising? What Philippine dialect is that?
1 person likes this
@brokenbee (11090)
• Philippines
14 Feb 16
@louievill ilocano dialect. Yes, I know we eat this kind of seafood.
They taste good too, just like shrimps or crab meat but you can get just a little flesh from it so we look for the bigger ones.
1 person likes this
@acelawrites (19272)
• Philippines
2 Jul 16
I had tasted this long ago, but it seemed rare in the markets now.
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@louievill (28851)
• Philippines
2 Jul 16
Why where are you from? It is more common here in the Cavite, Bacoor, Zapote and coastal road areas
