Blue Swimmer Crabs with Tamarind & Chilli

Blue Swimmer Crabs with Tamarind & Chilli

I love crabs!!! especially when they are as fresh as possible. Sweet, juicy and delicious. This recipe is a malaysian inspired version of chilli crabs. Please enjoy!

This recipe serves 2. What you need:

• 2 sri lankan blue swimmer crabs – chopped into pieces
• 7 – 8 dried red chillies
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 inch piece of ginger
• 5 – 6 seeds of dried fresh tamarind with flesh
• 1/3 cup of water
• 2 tsp of corn starch
• 1 tsp of salt
• 2 tsp of sugar

Making the Chilli Paste

1. Soak the chillies in hot water for 15 – 10 mins until soft. Drain then off.
2. Chop the garlic and ginger
3. Put the chillis, garlic and ginger in a pestle and mortar and grind / pound until nice an smooth.

Preparing the Tamarind Juice

1. cover the seeds with hot water – just enough to cover the seeds. do not use too much.
2. after 10 mins, push the flesh off the seeds.
3. pass through a sieve and push off the remaining flesh (as would a puree) till you are left with tamarind juice

Blue Swimmer Crabs with Tamarind & Chilli

What you need to do:

1. add the oil into the wok
2. fry the paste until fragrant and to cook out the rawness in the garlic on a medium heat
3. add the crabs and cover in the paste
4. add the water
5. cover the wok for a 2 – 3 minutes so it steams
6. stir the crabs around
7. add the tamarind juice, sugar and salt
8. stir the crabs around coating well
9. cover for another minute
10. the crabs should be orange by this point and the sauce reduced
11. mix the corn starch in a little water and add to the wok
12. the sauce will thicken and come together, reduce for a little longer
13. remove from the heat.
14. sprinkle with coriander and serve.

you might also be interested in...

• Raising a glass for English Wine
• Bincho Yakitori, London – Mmmmm
• Mr. Foodie & The Search for the Okonomiyaki Holy Grail across Japan