Tamarind Crab Recipes

Steps:

• For the sauce: Mix together the tamarind water, fish sauce, sugar and sea salt in a bowl.
• For the crab: Heat a wok over high heat. Add the oil, garlic, shallots and onions and stir-fry until fragrant, 30 seconds. Add the peppercorns and crabs and toss for 7 minutes. Stir in the tamarind sauce and cook until the crab is cooked through, about 1 minute more.
• Add the basil and chiles, toss once more, and serve garnished with more basil and chiles if desired.

Steps:

• Pull the main shell off the crab and discard it. Remove the gray gills and the soft insides. Cut the body in half and then cut between each leg. Crack the legs and claws with the back of the knife or a hammer and set aside.
• In a bowl mix the ketchup, chili paste, oyster sauce, soy sauce, and tamarind paste; thin it with 1/4 cup water and set aside. Pour the oil into a wok or large skillet over high heat. Add the scallion, ginger, garlic, 1/2 the chile, and cilantro and cook for 1 minute. Add the crab and stir-fry for another minute. Pour in the sauce and continue cooking, stirring often, until the crab has absorbed the sauce and the sauce has thickened, about 5 minutes.
• Put onto a platter and garnish with the rest of the chile and cilantro. Serve with plenty of napkins!

Steps:

• In a large saute pan, heat one tablespoon of the corn oil. Add the onion, ginger and garlic and saute for 5 minutes over medium heat. Add the coriander, cumin, turmeric and the tomato and continue to cook until it turns dry. Remove from the heat and cool down. In a large mixing bowl, combine crabmeat, the cooled onion mixture, shrimp, lime zest and juice, cilantro, chives, beaten egg and 3 tablespoons of the panko. Season with salt, pepper and cayenne. Mix well so that all the ingredients are well incorporated. Test a small quantity by forming a teaspoon of this mix into a small patty and frying it in a pan. Adjust the salt and pepper if necessary. Divide this mixture into 4 equal portions. Form into balls and flatten to form small patties. Put the rest of the panko on a cutting board. Place the patties one at a time in the bread crumbs. Heat a heavy bottomed skillet large enough to hold the crab cakes on medium heat. Add the oil and fry the crab cakes. When the cakes turn a light golden color, flip them over and cook them on the other side until they are light golden in color. Using a slotted spatula, remove and drain on a paper towel Take 4 large plates and place the baby greens in the centers and a pappadum on top of the greens. Fill each pappadum with a scoop of avocado salad and top with a crab cake. Spoon the tamarind around the plate.
• In a large bowl, combine the diced avocado with the juice and the zest of the lime. Add the tomatoes, onion and cilantro. Mix well, taking care not to smash the avocado and the tomatoes. Next add the cumin, cayenne, salt, pepper, extra virgin olive oil and sugar. Taste and season if necessary. Refrigerate until ready to use or at least two hours.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
• Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a nonstick pan and fry the onion for about 4 minutes, or until the onions are soft. Add the ginger and garlic, and cook for another 40 seconds. Stir in the coriander, red chile powder, garam masala, and salt, to taste, and cook for another 20 seconds then take the pan off the heat. Place the mixture into a large bowl.
• Add the lemon juice, fresh cilantro, crab, egg, and mayonnaise to the onion mixture in the bowl. Stir the ingredients well and add the bread crumbs. Divide the mixture into 8 equal portions and form each into a circular shape.
• Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a nonstick pan and cook the crab cakes in batches over a low, moderate heat for about 2 minutes on each side, or until the crab cakes are golden brown, adding more oil as needed.
• Place the cooked crab cakes on a baking sheet and place them into the oven to stay warm while you cook the others.
• For the tamarind mayonnaise: Place the mayonnaise, milk, tamarind paste, black pepper, salt, to taste, and cilantro into a bowl and whisk together. Adjust the seasonings, to taste.
• To serve the crab cakes, take the warm crab cakes out of the oven, and put them on a plate and serve with a spoonful of the tamarind mayonnaise. Place the fresh lightly dressed salad leaves on the side.