Learn how to make this delicious crab curry (curry crab) dish using crab meat. No fuss or mess from eating the crab because the meat is de-shelled. A recipe that is full of aromatic flavours. Definitely a seafood lovers, must try recipe!

My family and I are HUGE, and I mean HUGE crab meat lovers.

This recipe would always feature at our family reunions, everyone would look forward to it and nothing would go to waste.

I decided to share this recipe with you because I truly believe that you will enjoy it as much as we do.

However, the one thing that I did differently from my family would be the use of de-shelled crab meat instead of using a whole crab.

The reason for this is because I know a lot of people enjoy crab but don't care for the mess it can create when eating it.

I know some people who avoid eating it in certain places because of the potential mess.

Therefore this recipe will meet people in the middle, you get the crab meat without having to fight with the shell.

It's a less messy/no fuss way of eating the meat with virtually no cleanup.

My rendition

Please note, although I pair this recipe with coconut dumpling, this is NOT the TRINIDADIAN infamous crab and dumpling recipe.

My recipe is slightly different ingredients wise, however I do love to pair crab with dumpling, that is something that I have in common with the aforementioned recipe.

Also the title reads "crab curry recipe" typically Caribbean dialect would be "curry crab" but sometimes you will see food blogger slighlty adjust recipe title to suit search results.

In this case, similar to other recipes on the blog, this is what I did.

Ingredients you will need

Crab meat - I used fresh snow crab meat, however blue crab is best (if you can get it).
Seafood seasoning - I like to use my homemade recipe for especially for fish recipes
Curry powder/paprika/parsley/thyme/black pepper and pink salt - these are the herbs and spices that are used to seasoning the crab meat ans build the curry sauce.
Onion/garlic/scallion and ginger - the foundation/base ingredients for the recipe.
Scotch bonnet pepper - Keep the scotch bonnet whole if you want the warmth and NOT the heat from the pepper.
Bell peppers - You any colour, however I like to use red and green as a colour contrast.
Tomato/tomato paste - both elements help to optimise taste and yield colour.
Coconut milk - Full fat coconut milk is a great alternative to dairy free option
Olive oil - for sauteing

Reasons to make this recipe

The de-shelled option means less mess and clean up.
You don't have to contend with the preparation that you would when dealing with a live crab.
Crab meat is naturally sweet and a great choice for seafood lovers.
It is a much more straightforward recipe to make.
It tastes amazing and is incredibly delicious (without sounding biased)

Recipe preparation

For this recipe I am using crab meat that has already been cooked.

Just like cooked shrimp, the key here is to NOT over cook the meat because the texture will change slightly.

What I like to do is season the crab meat in advance, to give the actual meat itself some more flavour.

I then go about preparing the base of this recipe, which is the actual sauce for the crab meat.

This consists of the usual base ingredients - onion, garlic, ginger and scallion with bell peppers.

I saute the above until soft/translucent then add the additional ingredients (the seasoning).

Before finally adding the coconut milk and leaving it to simmer for a small amount of time before adding the crab meat.

It is very important to do things in this order so the because the flavours need enough time to meld before adding the crab meat.

The steps

Place the crab meat in a medium sized bowl.
Season with the curry powder, seafood seasoning, black pepper and pink salt then set aside.
In a medium sized saucepan, on medium heat, add the olive oil.
Add the curry powder and cook it for about one minute.

Add the onion, scallion, garlic and ginger and saute until soft and translucent.
Add the green, red bell peppers and tomato and cook for a few minutes until soft.
Stir in the tomato paste, followed by the seasoning - paprika, seafood seasoning and parsley.

Add the scotch bonnet pepper along with the sprigs of thyme.
Pour in the coconut milk and bring the saucepan to a rolling boil.
Reduce the heat to low and simmer with the lid on until the sauce starts to thicken (this should take roughly 15-20 minutes).

Finally fold in the crab meat, allow the meat to heat through for a few minutes and take on the flavour of the sauce (you don't want to overcook the crab meat as the texture will be rough).
Do a taste test and season with pink salt and black pepper to taste.
Once cooked, remove the thyme stems and scotch bonnet prior to serving.

Notes and tips

If possible try to get blue crab meat, this isn't easy to purchase in its de-shelled form but if you can get it, this will optimise the taste.
I purchased my meat from a Chinese grocery store, you can usually find it in most supermarkets in the seafood aisle/section.
This is the Coconut Dumpling Recipe that I recommend you pair it with.
This recipe is strictly for the CRAB MEAT only, I haven't tested it with a whole crab/legs so if you choose to deviate from the recipe, you're doing so at your own risk!!
If possible try not to re-heat the crab meat, it is best to serve immediately.
You can make the sauce and season the crab meat in advance (1-2 days, just wrap the crab up and refrigerate it).
Only add the crab meat when you know you're going to eat it (as said above, straight away).
If you can't obtain scotch bonnet pepper, then use habanero peppers instead.

Serving suggestions

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