Spicy Red Sea Crabs

Prawns and Crabs are an indulgence and a delicacy for me as I am allergic to fish. Can’t go anywhere near fish. It used to be so bad when I was little…would sneeze, itch, the point of contact would swell and it always wreaked havoc in my life as invariably I would have accidentally come in contact with a dirty plate after a meal, or a drop of curry on the table or simply in touch with the fish when left to thaw.But as I got older, things were far better and the itching would be minimal in comparison to my youth.

 But my parents realized through trial and error that I wasn’t allergic to these crustaceans. So whenever ma  made either of these, I was always treated special as my other siblings could have fish. So mom would strictly instruct them to let me have more. Nice siblings really, they listened and cooperated as well! Despite the exhorbitant rates at times, whenever Pa knew I was home for the holidays he would ensure that he got the best catch and was always good at haggling with the local fishmongers.

Got some lovely prawns and Red Sea Crabs from Supreme SeaFood in Chennai the other day. I was quite content with my purchase. My recipe is on the crabs. I wanted to do a slow cooked one pot dish as I had a few chores to complete at home. Thus in a wide,deep skillet, I drizzled in coconut oil and allowed a tsp. of mustard to crackle. Once it spluttered added in two broken dry red chillies and thinly sliced onions.. As the onions turned translucent added in a tbsp. of coarsely ground ginger and garlic and tossed them all about. Added in a tsp. of fennel seeds and pepper corns. A tsp. of turmeric immediately changed the colour of the onions. To it more spices were added after diluting them in a tbsp. of lemon juice-the spices included were coriander powder,pepper powder,chilly powder and a bit of cumin(the quantity of  spices added are to one’s desire) As the raw smell slowly disappears, slide in your washed and cleaned crabs and mix them in the spices with adequate salt, Let the crabs cook in this spice mixture and in its own juices under a lid.Do not add water unless necessary!The crabs will release some of its own liquid along with the spice mix. Lift the lid after a while and check for seasoning.

Add a tsp. more of pepper powder to make it spicy and then add Kashmiri Red chilly powder  to give it that red colour and overall spicy feel and appearance. I do like my crab dish a little bit sweet  hence chose to drizzle in a red chilly sweet sauce. It is optional. I have not used tomatoes in this dish, you can add if you wish while sauteeing the onions.

I let all the crab cook without the lid then until all the excess liquid has evaporated and the dish almost turns dry or gravy like. At this juncture I finished cooking the dish with a nice drizzle of coconut milk(fresh or tetrapack is good enough) and threw in a few curry leaves as well. Switched off the flame and added a light drizzle of coconut oil again and tossed them all about until every bit has been well coated with the spices,the garnish of coconut oil and the sweet red chilly sauce in appearance and in flavour.

To be served hot. Bon Appetit! For those of you who find biting into the crabs a herculean task, you can get yourself a crab mallet or use a pestle and pound it at a safe distance away from children in order to obtain the juicy flesh.

If you have enjoyed browsing through this recipe as well as trying out this recipe, do try some of my other recipes on my blog as well-potsnpans-peanuts.blogspot.in

Thank You Supreme SeaFood! And thanks for reading guys!

Pa and Ma...no longer with me, but I live to tell this tale...thank u so much for trying  to make me feel one with my siblings...I'll always miss you!always grateful!
Very few delicacies that I've enjoyed thanks to the both of you.

Do read "Something's Fishy" another page from my life under Features in Food Corner on Yentha.com.This can be added also as a Toddy Shop recipe.

http://www.supremeseafood.in/home.php