Modern versions of the dish commonly add spices and use carbonated lemon drinks instead of water for a sweeter sauce.

Halabós (also spelled halbus, hablos, or halbos) is a verb meaning "to scald in saltwater" in the Tagalog language.

[1][2] Halabós is one of the easiest and most common way of preparing crustacean dishes in the Philippines.

Traditionally, it only requires boiling whole unshelled shrimp, crab, or other crustaceans in water and a little salt for one to three minutes until they turn reddish-pink.

However, modern versions generally use carbonated lemon drinks like Sprite instead of water.