similar experience here. at the market and another restaurant next to yours.
my SEA experience with sea food has always been disappointing, and always overpowered with some sauces.

it was the pepper sauce, with these fresh green peppers, but could not feel the green pepper taste unless I chew them.
the sauce was sweet (ok maybe not too sweet) and covering the crab taste.
Maybe I would like them more with just a little lemon, salt, and green pepper.

I’m sorry that you didn’t like them! What type of sauce did you get? Did you try them with the pepper sauce? Everything in Cambodia is pretty sweet, but the pepper one isn’t.

Ok I went to the crab market first. the prices were starting from $8 per KG upto $12 per kg I am not sure of these prices were tourists prices or were also for locals.. the price changes depending on the type of crab, and I felt like all seller are having similar prices, so dont worry much which seller you are dealing with.
The thing that confused me was which crabs to chose? Are the bigger one of better quality more premium ones? They were also blue crabs …also of different sizes…
Ended up choosing the largest crab I have found in the market (black in color, but they turned to the usual reddish color we know the crabs of) . It was about 0.7 Kgs and costs about $8. with cooking.
Unfortunately, I did not enjoy it, because the sauce was too sweet and overpowered any taste from the crab. I really wanted to like it, but I was disappointed, the price was not encouraging neither, you are in a place just next where they are fishing for all these, you would expect better prices.
So I headed to Srey Pov restaurant, what a relief from the crowd and small spaces at the market,I got a nice sea view and a very quiet restaurant, but the same thing with the sauce, maybe it is a little less sweet than the one in the market, but still it was sweet and overpowering the crabs taste. I paid about the same price of what I paid in the market for a very similar quantity i think. in the restaurant they called the “Small meal” but I think it was quite similar the quantity of crabs I had in the crab market!
I don’t think I will have the chance to come again to this part of the world, but if I do I will make sure to tell them no sugar or anything non pepper related is added. I am ok with lemon / salt ofcourse, but NO SUGAR!
For now I am enjyoing the few days I still have in Cambodia, and I am spending them in the beautiful town of Kampong Cham! Thanks for this underrated town recommendation.

Maybe you can give us some updates. I tried Srey Pov recently and it was as good as usual. Have fun!