Kerala Crab Masala – All in one pot and delicious. I tried to make this Crab Masala as simple as possible… Really, once you’ve cleaned the crab, the rest is just a 1-2-3 recipe. I am a little squeamish when handling the live crab. I follow the humane method of placing the live fresh crabs in the freezer for 45 minutes or a bit more, to set them off into a sleep. Then you can clean the crabs and marinate them for this recipe. It smells soo good even before you get a taste of this delicious Kerala Crab Masala. My daughter fell in love with this dish the moment I first prepared it.

Scroll down for the Video and Recipe, and Step by Step Pictures on HOW TO CLEAB CRAB.

Kerala Crab Masala – All in one pot and delicious

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Crabs kept on ice or in the fridge will be lethargic, but even they should respond to being picked up or moved around with a bit of leg movement. If you’re choosing crabs from a tank or cooler, look for feisty specimens.

Crabs kept on ice will become lethargic, but to immobilize them before cleaning, they must be chilled in the freezer. The time taken to immobilize the crabs will depend on the size and weight of the crabs. Oftentimes, the Crab is boiled before cleaning. However, cooking a live crab doesn’t settle well with everyone, also the crab juices are diluted somewhat in this boiling process. Steaming is another option. I prefer to always immobilize the live crabs by placing in the freezer for 30 minutes upto one hour ( depending on size and vigour). This sets the crabs off into a sleep or hibernation state and this is the least stressful method to put the crabs to sleep. Do not freeze the crabs. This will ruin the crab meat. Bacteria works on the crab meat once dead, this is why they must be quickly cooked from live.

HOW TO CLEAN THE CRAB:

Now comes the messy bit. Remove the crabs from the freezer and ensure they are no longer active.. There have been times, when I thought the crabs were no longer moving just to find that they are still moving. For this reason I often keep the strings used to tie the crab claws untied, as I begin to clean the crabs.

REMOVE THE APRON (tail-flap):

Place newspaper on the countertop to reduce cleanup. Lay the crab upside down. Here we will see the crabs tail flap (apron). The “apron” on a crab is a triangle of shell on the bottom of the crab (on males it is smaller and narrower, also more pointed. On females, it is bigger, wider, and more rounded. Female Crabs are usually not sold commercially. Lift this tail flap  up and discard it.

REMOVE THE CARAPACE(head-shell):

Once the tail-flap is removed, you will see a small gap on the back end of the crab between the top-shell and the body. Hold the body with one hand and pull off the top shell by lifting the shell firmly with your thumb, where that small gap is seen. (Some strength is required for larger crabs.)

Twist the head-shell (carapace) to remove it along with it’s contents neatly. The jelly-like liquid seen is called “crab butter” and is the fat, stored in the back of the crab. Many people like to eat this in various preparations, like soups or sauces, but many simply discard it along with the shell. The shell itself is usually discarded as well, However, sometimes it is uses for decoration purposes after cleaning thoroughly and steaming, to get color. (Like in the Singapore Chilli Crab Recipe).

 

Cleaning the gut

REMOVE GILLS, MANDIBLES AND GUTS: When the top shell is removed, you will see a greyish, spongy, feather-like appearance on both sides of the guts. This is inedible and will turn bitter if cooked, so just remove it from both sides, simply by grabbing together (by hand) and pulling off. The sharp inedible pieces on the front mouthpiece of the crab (mandibles) are also inedible. Just snip them all off with kitchen scissors. Now you are left with the yellowish-coloured guts in the centre. Scoop out as much as possible and discard. Remove the rest under running tap water as you rinse the crabs before cutting.

Cut, Crack and Quarter:To cut the crabs into sections, first cut through the centre vertically with a cleaver. No cut these halves horizontally between the legs, to quarter them. I always twist of the small joint at the tip of the legs, to help penetrate more flavour. Use the side of your kitchen cleaver to crack open the claws. Don’t smash to much or you end  up with too many tiny shell pieces. Twist the claw – joint off to get more sections. We are now ready to marinate and quickly cook the crabs. Note:Smaller cleaned crabs can be served whole, Larger crabs are best portioned. Some crabs can be sectioned using bare hands. For larger crabs use a kitchen cleaver. Watch the Video or click to read Complete Recipe – Below.

How to make Kerala Crab Masala – All in one pot and delicious- Recipe at a glance:

1. Prepare Crab. Follow video instructions.
2. Marinate the Crab with recipe ingredients, for one hour.
3. Slow cook for 15 minutes, adding a few added ingredients, till water reduces, creating a beautiful coating and delicious masala gravy.
4. Watch Vido or Get full details on the Recipe page.

Other Crab Recipes:

Ingredients:

• 2 large sized Mud Crabs (750 gms weight after cleaning and discarding headshell and waste)
• 1/2 cup sliced shallots
• 4 heaped Tbsp Ginger-garlic paste
• 2 sprigs Fresh Curry leaves
• 2 Tbsp Mild chilli powder
• 1 tsp Turmeric powder
• 2 Tbsp Coriander powder
• Salt to taste ( a little less than one tsp)
• 2 pieces of fish tamarind / gambooge
• Pinch of sugar
• 1 tomato, chopped
• 3 Tbsp Coconut oil

It is recommended that you open the recipe page and keep this page going if you like to WATCH / LISTEN to the video alongside the written instructions.

Key Ingredients: Crab, Shallots, Ginger, Garlic, Spices, Curry Leaves, Gambooge, Tomato, Lime, Salt, Coconut Oil.

EAT AND TELL!!! Let us know if you tried –  Kerala Crab Masala – All in one pot and delicious

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