Crab masala
The delicate flesh of the crab works perfectly with the peppery, fragrant spices in this easy curry recipe by Alfred Prasad. Blue swimmer crab is largely found in the Indian and West Pacific oceans and can be bought fresh from some specialist fishmongers but is more commonly available frozen. As the crab is cooked in its shell the chef advises serving this dish with lobster picks or seafood forks, if you have them, to scoop out the succulent crab meat.
Ingredients
Crab masala
- 800g of blue swimmer crab , fresh or frozen, cut into pieces
- 2 cinnamon sticks , approximately 3cm long
- 4 cloves
- 4 cardamom pods
- 4 bay leaves
- 3 medium onions , chopped
- 1 tbsp of ginger-garlic paste
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
- 1 tbsp of ground coriander
- 2 tbsp of cumin powder
- 4 tomatoes , chopped
- 3 tbsp of vegetable oil
- salt
- water
To garnish
- 1 tbsp of peppercorns , freshly ground
- green peppercorns , fresh
- pink peppercorns
- fresh coriander , optional
Method
1
Heat the vegetable oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Once hot, add the cinnamon, cloves and cardamom and sauté for 30 seconds. Add the chopped onions and sauté until golden brown, stirring well
- 3 tbsp of vegetable oil
- 2 cinnamon sticks , approximately 3cm long
- 4 cloves
- 4 cardamom pods
- 4 bay leaves
- 3 medium onions , chopped
2
Add the ginger-garlic paste and powdered spices to the pan. Sauté for a further 5 minutes, stirring well to ensure the mixture doesn't catch, then add the chopped tomatoes and a little water. Cover the pan and leave to simmer on a gentle heat for 20 minutes, or until the oil separates and rises to the top of the sauce
- 1 tbsp of ginger-garlic paste
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
- 1 tbsp of ground coriander
- 2 tbsp of cumin powder
- 4 tomatoes , chopped
- water
3
Add the salt and more water, then stir in the crab pieces and cover the pan. Allow to simmer over gentle heat for a further 10 minutes, adding a little more water after 5 minutes
- salt
- water
- 800g of blue swimmer crab , fresh or frozen, cut into pieces
4
To serve, check the seasoning and garnish with the peppercorns and fresh coriander (if desired)
- 1 tbsp of peppercorns , freshly ground
- green peppercorns , fresh
- pink peppercorns
- fresh coriander , optional
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Crab masala
