Tobago curry crab and dumpling
Crab curried in coconut milk with Trini green seasoning, served with flat flour dumplings
On Tobago, curry crab and dumpling is the dish people travel for, eaten with fingers on Sunday afternoons and sold at the Store Bay food huts near Crown Point, where a plate is half the reason to visit. Blue crabs are cleaned, rubbed with green seasoning, 'burnt' in curry and simmered in coconut milk until the shells turn red and the sauce goes rich, spicy and sweet with crab. Long, flat flour dumplings cook right in the gravy and soak it all up. It's messy, so have bowls for shells and plenty of napkins. Chef's tip: crack the claws lightly before they go in the pot, so the curry can get inside and the meat is easy to pull out at the table.
- Total time
- 90 min
- Difficulty
- hard
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the crab
For the curry
For the dumplings
Method
0/10 doneStep 1: Check 3 ⅓ lb blue crabs before you start: live crabs should be moving; discard any frozen or fresh crab that smells of ammonia. Chill live crabs in the freezer for 20 minutes to make them sleepy, then pull off the top shell, remove the grey gills and stomach, and cut each body in half. Lightly crack the claws with the back of a heavy knife.
25 minStep 2: Wash the crab pieces in water with 1 lime juice, drain, and rub with 4 tbsp Trini green seasoning and ¾ tsp salt. Keep in the fridge while you make the dough.
Step 3: Mix 9 oz plain flour with ¾ tsp salt and add ½ cup cold water gradually, kneading for 3 minutes into a firm, smooth dough. Cover and rest for 15 minutes.
15 minStep 4: Heat 3 tbsp vegetable oil in a large wide pot over a medium heat. Fry 1 onion for 4 minutes until soft, then add 5 cloves garlic and fry for 1 minute.
5 minStep 5: Add the 3 tbsp Caribbean curry powder paste and 1 tsp ground roasted cumin (geera) and fry, stirring, for 3–4 minutes until the paste darkens and the oil separates. Common mistake: adding the crab before the curry is cooked out; the sauce will taste raw and gritty.
4 minStep 6: Add the crab and 1 scotch bonnet pepper and stir well to coat every piece in the curry. Cook for 5 minutes, turning, until the shells start to turn red.
5 minStep 7: Pour in 1 ¾ cups coconut milk and 1 ¼ cups water, bring to the boil, then cover and simmer over a medium-low heat for 15 minutes.
15 minStep 8: Meanwhile, divide the dough into 8 pieces and roll each into a flat tongue about 12 cm long and 5 mm thick.
Step 9: Lay the dumplings on top of the curry, pushing them into the sauce, cover and simmer for 12–15 minutes, until they are cooked through and no longer doughy in the middle. The crab shells should be bright red-orange and the meat white and opaque.
15 minStep 10: Taste the sauce for salt, scatter over 2 tbsp chadon beni (culantro) or coriander and serve hot with bowls for the shells.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 560 kcal
- Protein
- 30 g
- Carbs
- 52 g
- Fat
- 26 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does tobago curry crab and dumpling take?
- About 90 minutes in total: 40 minutes to prepare and 50 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it very spicy?
- It has some heat. Use less chilli for a milder version, or more if you like it hot.
- What can I use instead of lime?
- Lemon, same amount.
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
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