This Thai crab curry recipe is a fragrant, flavorful way to celebrate Dungeness or blue crabs. It requires a few unusual ingredients, but they can easily be found in an Asian market. The one thing you cannot substitute or omit, however, is coconut milk (not to be confused with cream of coconut).
Serve this curry with white rice.
Ingredients
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2 to 8 chile peppers, such as serrano or Thai, chopped
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1 (2-inch) piece ginger, or galangal, grated
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6 cloves garlic, chopped
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5 shallots, chopped
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1 tablespoon ground coriander
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2 tablespoons lime zest
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1 stalk lemongrass, white parts only, finely chopped
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1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
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1 teaspoon shrimp paste, optional
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2 cups coconut milk, not cream of coconut
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1 pound crabmeat
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2 tablespoons fish sauce, optional
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1 teaspoon sugar
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3 to 4 lemon or lime leaves, optional
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1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
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2 tablespoons chopped cilantro, for garnish
Steps to Make It
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Gather the ingredients.
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Add the chile peppers, ginger or galangal, garlic, shallots, ground coriander, lime zest, lemongrass, salt, and optional shrimp paste and pound it into a paste with a mortar and pestle—you also can buzz it in a food processor, but it will not be quite the same.
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In a large pot or wok, over medium-high heat, simmer the coconut milk for 5 to 6 minutes.
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Add the mixture from the mortar and stir it into the coconut milk, stirring constantly for 2 to 3 minutes. Do not let the mixture boil hard, but a simmer is okay.
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Add the crab, optional fish sauce, sugar, and optional lemon or lime leaves and let cook for about 5 minutes, until the leaves begin to give off their aroma and the crab is warmed through. Add the black pepper.
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Serve over white rice and top with the chopped cilantro.
Nutrition Facts (per serving) | |
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276 | Calories |
17g | Fat |
18g | Carbs |
17g | Protein |
Nutrition Facts | |
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Servings: 4 to 6 | |
Amount per serving | |
Calories | 276 |
% Daily Value* | |
Total Fat 17g | 22% |
Saturated Fat 14g | 72% |
Cholesterol 73mg | 24% |
Sodium 669mg | 29% |
Total Carbohydrate 18g | 6% |
Dietary Fiber 3g | 11% |
Total Sugars 5g | |
Protein 17g | |
Vitamin C 22mg | 108% |
Calcium 136mg | 10% |
Iron 5mg | 28% |
Potassium 692mg | 15% |
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice. |
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