Servings
4
Difficulty
Medium
Prep Time
15 Mins
Cook Time
40 Mins
Total Time
55 Mins
Crab curry recipe Indian-style is prepared with juicy and fresh crabs cooked slowly in aromatic spices to give that richness and flavor to the curry.
Crabs are simply great for many seafood lovers. This Indian crab curry is my husband’s absolute favorite. He loves crabs like anything. Whenever I cook crab masala that makes his day. You can find this crab dish in coastal dhaba and restaurants.
People think cooking crab is an annoying task. But here I will share the most effective way to cook crabs with easy steps with regular kitchen staples. Follow the step-by-step process along with pictures for a hassle-free crab curry at home.
Here I bring the most popular Odia crab curry dish from the roots of Odisha that you can prepare in 40 minutes and enjoy with steamed rice.
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How to clean crabs?
- Cleaning crabs is easy at home. Before cleaning, boil the crabs, it makes the process easy. Boil only for 5 minutes in high flame and strain the excess water and let the crabs cool.
- Separate the crawling legs from the shell joints.
- Separate both the upper and lower parts. pulling away the thin, crisp membrane. I have not used the upper shell as there is no meat and prepared the crab curry with the lower part and legs.
- Rinse out the guts and gills.
- Cut sharp claws from the front legs.
- Break the pointy spines.
How to prepare crab curry?
Before preparing the curry, clean the crabs as mentioned above. Keep aside all cleaned parts.
- Potatoes are used in most of the Odia curries. So fry peeled and chopped potatoes in mustard oil until golden brown. Keep on a plate.
- In the same oil fry all crabs in medium heat for about 5 minutes, so that the rawness has gone.
- Again add mustard oil and let it heat.
- Now add cumin along with chopped onions. Cover and cook onions until golden brown with occasional stirring.
- Add ginger and garlic paste and sauté until oil separates.
- Add chopped tomatoes and sauté until it mix completely.
- Now add turmeric powder, chili powder, Kashmiri chili powder, coriander powder and garam masala. Mix all the spices and cook for a minute.
- Add fried potatoes and crabs along with salt and little sugar. Sugar is optional but believe me it enhances the taste of this Indian crab curry. Cover and sauté for another 5 minutes.
- Now add warm water as per requirement. Mix and give it a quick boil.
- After a boil, cook for another 12-15 minutes. This depends upon your gravy requirement. If you have used less water it can be prepared in less time. But I used three cups of water for more gravy, so it took 15 or more minutes to cook.
- As we have boiled the crabs it doesn’t take more time to cook. The time is for cooking the gravy.
- Delicious crab curry is ready. Enjoy the crab curry Indian-style with steamed rice or any substitute of your choice.
Crab curry is a mouthwatering seafood recipe with the unique combination of spices and the sweetness of fresh crab.
INGREDIENTS:
500-gram crab (Boiled and cleaned)
2 Potatoes (Peeled and chopped)
2 Onions (Chopped)
½ Tomato (Chopped)
2 tablespoons Ginger and garlic paste
½ teaspoon turmeric powder
½ teaspoon chili powder
¼ teaspoon Kashmiri chili powder
½ teaspoon Coriander powder
¼ teaspoon Garam masala
6 tablespoon Mustard oil (Divided)
Salt to taste
½ teaspoon Sugar (Optional)
Water as required
INSTRUCTION:
- Boil and clean crabs as mentioned above in “How to clean crabs”.
- Use a heavy bottom kadai(pan) for making the crab curry. Pour 2 tablespoons of mustard oil into the kadai and let it heat.
- First, fry the Chopped potatoes in medium flame for 5 minutes until golden brown and take them out on a plate.
- In the same oil sauté crabs for 3-5 minutes on medium flame. Don’t wait for the color change, we are doing it so that the rawness goes. Keep on a plate.
- Again add four tablespoons of mustard oil (You can use any oil). Add chopped onions and sauté until it turns golden brown.
- Add ginger and garlic paste and sauté until oil separates. Do it on low flame so the masala cooks well without burning.
- Add chopped tomatoes and mix. Sauté the masala until all tomatoes mix thoroughly. Here I am using less tomato, if you want a tangy crab curry you can add more. It is up to you!
- Now add all dry spices turmeric powder, chili powder, Kashmiri chili powder, coriander powder, and garam masala. Mix and sauté for another 1 minute. If the masala mix is too dry add a little water and mix, so it doesn’t burn out.
- Pour fried potatoes and crabs. Add salt as per taste. Mix properly with the masala. Close the lid and cook for 5 minutes on low flame.
- A dash of sugar can enhance the taste of crab dishes. So I am adding ½ a teaspoon of sugar. It is optional, if you like you can add.
- Now it’s time to make crab gravy. Here I am adding three cups of warm water. As I want more gravy. You can adjust the water quantity as per taste. Use less water for thick crab masala, because the crab is already boiled and it doesn’t take too much time to cook.
- Give it a quick boil. Cook for another 15 minutes to thicken the gravy, stir occasionally.
- Delicious crab curry is prepared. Serve hot and enjoy with steamed rice.
NOTES:
- Making crab dishes at home is not that difficult. With proper technique, you can make any crab item of your choice.
- Maintain hygienic and clean crabs thoroughly before making any crab dish.