How to Cook Crab Fry

Crabs are the most sought after dish at a sea food counter. And, a perfectly cooked crab offers a very pleasurable dining experience. Getting the crab to cook to the right consistency may require a bit of patience and practice, but once you achieve it, you will end up making a delectable food for your entire family. Crabs can be cooked in a variety of ways i.e. you can steam them or make a curry with them or use only the flesh to make crab cakes or the most tastiest of all, prepare a crab fry. Read the steps given below to learn how to cook crab fry.

Complexity Level: Moderate

Time Required: 5 to 15 minutes (excluding marination time)

Resources Required:

1. Cleaned crabs – 4 to 5

2. Red chilli powder – 1 teaspoon

3. Tamarind extract – 1/4 teaspoon

4. Garlic – 2 to 4 small pods

5. Turmeric powder – a pinch

6. Oil – 2 table spoons

7. Salt – to taste

8. Cumin powder – 1 tsp

9. Coriander powder – 1 tsp

10. Ginger – 1 inch piece

11. A large pan

12. Sauté spoon

13. Garnishing like onion rings, tomatoes and lime juice

Instructions:

1. Preparation

• If the crabs haven’t been cleaned, do so by removing the inside waste of the stomach and washing it under running water to remove all the dirt and unwanted particles.
• Crush ginger and garlic together using a pestle and mortar or whiz it once in a food processor to form a coarse paste.
• In a bowl mix together chilli powder, turmeric powder, ginger-garlic paste, tamarind extract, cumin powder, and coriander powder till they blend well. Also add enough salt to taste.
• Place the crabs in a mixing bowl and pour over the marinade.
• Mix well till they are all entirely covered with the paste of spices you made in the above step and keep them in a refrigerator (covered) either overnight or if you are time constrained, for at least one hour.

2. Cooking

• Take a pan, big enough to hold the crab and heat the oil.
• Once the oil gets hot, add the crabs one by one slowly into it.
• The oil might splutter a bit, so keep a lid ready and cover the pan.
• Cook till the crabs are done, turning them around once in a while to make sure they cook evenly and also to prevent them from sticking to the pan.
• After about 10 to 12 minutes the crabs should be cooked and fried to perfection.

3. Serving

• Fried crabs taste best when served immediately after they are cooked.
• If crab has deeply absorbed the oil, once you remove them from the oil, drain on paper towels.
• Transfer on to a clean plate and squeeze some lemon juice over it just before serving.
• Some onion rings and chopped tomatoes will also act as a good garnish for crab fry.

Frequently Asked Questions:

1. For a crab fry, do you use only the body and not the legs?

For a preparation like this, you, generally, use only the fleshy parts of crab and not the claws. The stomach area, if a bit large, can also be chopped up into convenient sizes to make it easier to cook and consume.

2. What are crab cakes?

Crab cakes are made using only the crab flesh found inside the shells. The meat is then mixed with bread crumbs, eggs, herbs and spices and then formed into patties and fried in oil on each side. They are a great snack item in most countries, and also sometimes form part of the main meal as well.

Quick Tips:

1. If you do not have readymade tamarind paste, use a small lemon size tamarind to squeeze the thick juices out of it.

2. A spicy version of the same fry can be made by sauteing onions and tomatoes in oil along with the spices and then cooking the crab in it. In this case, marinating the crab can be avoided.

3. To make the crab more crispier, roll it in semolina and then fry it.

Things To Watch Out For:

1. Live crabs need constant attention. They might sting if not handled properly.
2. Make sure you ventilate the area where you are cooking your crab. The smell can sometimes be a bit too overpowering and uncomfortable.