West Indian Crab Curry

I was finally able to find some good crab on the island, so I decided to make my personal favorite, crab curry. It is a typical Guyanese-style curry, which is very different from South Asian (East Indian) curry. It's a very quick and easy meal if you can get the crab cleaned and cut ahead of time. Popular versions of this dish are made with coconut milk (which I am not a huge fan of), so I included that ingredient as optional. 

Ingredients:

     1 pound crab, cleaned and cut into pieces
     1 small onion, sliced
     2 garlic cloves, chopped finely
     1/2 teaspoon fresh fine-leaf thyme
     Fresh pepper, cut finely (I used scotch bonnet (habanero), use amount according to how hot you want it)
     1 small tomato, cut into chunks
     2 teaspoons curry powder
     3/4 teaspoon garam masala
     1/4 teaspoon geera (cumin)
     4 tablespoons olive oil
     Lime or lemon for washing the crab
     Salt to taste
     2 scallions (green onions), chopped
     Optional: 1/2 can of coconut milk (about 3 oz.)

Wash the crab using the juice of half a lemon or a lime and water. Set aside. Next, prepare the seasoning. The easiest way to do the seasoning is with a blender, but you can also just chop them by hand. If using a blender, add the onion, garlic, thyme, and fresh pepper with a little bit of water, and blend. Set aside. In a small bowl, add the curry powder, masala, and geera (cumin). Add about a 1/4 cup of water, and mix until the powders make a paste.

Cleaned and cut crab

Curry mix and seasoning

Heat the oil in a medium-sized pot or wok. Add the onions, garlic, thyme, and pepper (or the blended seasoning). Fry for a few seconds, and then add the curry paste. After 4-5 minutes, add the crab and tomato and fry for another 5 minutes. Once all of the water is gone, add 1 cup boiling water (plus the coconut milk) or 1 1/2 cups of boiling water (if not using coconut milk). Add salt to taste. Bring the curry to a boil and then let it simmer over medium heat for 8-12 minutes, or until the gravy has thickened to your liking. Add the chopped scallions towards the end. Serve with rice and enjoy!

Frying the crab (before adding water)

After the water is added