Crab Masala Fry Recipe or Nandu Varuval Recipe is a must try seafood delicacy cooked with a fragrant medley of spices. Its spicy punch is balanced deliciously by the sweetness from the crab meat. This crab fry is an easy to make recipe with limited ingredients that are normally available in our pantry. I don’t cook this often due to the non-availability of fresh crabs. But, I do try to make sometimes with the frozen ones available in the market. There is no comparison to the fresh ones though, but, when you crave for your favourite food.….you have no option!! Yes, I am a crazy lover of crab since my childhood 🙂
I have already shared a Crab Curry or Peethalu Iguru where you get to know my love for the culinary taste of sea. If you haven’t checked out, hop on quickly and grab the recipe!! It is a gravy kind of dish, tastes fantastic and you can’t resist salivating as the glorious aromas of the crab curry fills the house. It fits perfectly especially when you are suffering form a cold.
Did you know that Crabs caught on and around new-moon day (Amavasya) are said to be more fleshy and excellent in quality. So, it is always better to buy crab during that week. Also, the female crabs are meatier than their male counterpart. And the black crabs are fleshier than white ones. The crab’s claws should be undamaged. Next time you have live crabs at the market, bring home and do try your hands on this Crab Masala Fry Recipe. Crabs might look intimidating to cook but they’re fairly easy once you keep a few pointers in mind.
Off to Crab Masala Fry Recipe!!
Steps to follow for Crab Masala Fry Recipe:
Cleaning Crabs:
- In case you get hold of live crabs in the market, go ahead and clean them.
- Cleaning crabs is a tedious process, so you need a lot of patience.
- Firstly, wash the Crabs in clean water. Pry off the shells, pulling from the back of the crab.
- Clean & remove all intestinal parts. Remove the gills and hold the crab under running tap water to rinse out the guts.
- Remove anything that’s not pure white (the white stuff is actually meat).
- Wash again under running water, separate the legs and cut the crab into 2 pieces. Do not pop out its flesh while breaking.
Let’s start cooking:
- Rub the crab pieces with a little salt, turmeric powder and red chilli powder.
- Cover and cook them so they retain all the moisture and the delicate crab meat doesn’t dry out. They begin to change colour to white & orange and from that moment on it usually takes anywhere between 10-15 minutes to cook perfectly on low heat.
- This way, water doesn’t release while frying later and you get a dry fry.
- Once cooked, set aside.
- Meanwhile, thinly slice 2-3 large onions, peel some garlic and roughly chop a tomato.
- Heat oil in a pan over medium heat. Add 1 tsp fennel seeds and wait for the aroma to release and then add sliced onions, peeled garlic and few curry leaves.
- Now, add a little salt and sauté until onions turns translucent.
- Add in ginger garlic paste and mix well.
- Now, add chopped tomatoes and place the lid on to cook on a low heat until it turns mushy.
- To this, add any meat masala powder (I’m using chettinad chicken masala powder) and mix well.
- Make sure you turn the heat to low while adding the spice powders, so that they do not burn.
- Now, add in the cooked crab pieces and mix well.
- Add curry leaves and slit green chillies.
- Crush 1 tsp each of fennel seeds and black pepper and add it.
- Sprinkle little water, adjust salt and cook on a medium heat for 5 -8 minutes. Toss the pan carefully while cooking.
- Cook until gravy thickens and the masala coats well to the crab pieces.
- Finally, add half a teaspoon of garam masala powder and mix well.
- Garnish with coriander and allow it to rest for a few minutes before serving.
- This pairs well with Rice and Rasam or Pappu Charu.
A Quick Summary:
Crab Masala Fry Recipe | Chettinad Nandu Varuval
Ingredients
- 1 Kg Crab cleaned and cut
Marinate & Cook:
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- ½ teaspoon Turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon Red chilli powder
Other Ingredients:
- 2 Tablespoons Oil
- 3 Onions thinly sliced
- 10-15 garlic cloves peeled
- 3 sprigs curry leaves divided
- 1 Tablespoon ginger garlic paste
- 1 Tomato chopped
- 2 Green chilies slit
- 2 teaspoons Meat masala powder
- 1 teaspoon whole pepper
- 2 teaspoons Fennel seeds divided
- ½ teaspoon garam masala powder
- Salt as required
- Coriander chopped
Instructions
- Rub the crab pieces with a little salt, turmeric powder and red chilli powder.
- Cover and cook them so they retain all the moisture.
- Heat oil in a pan over medium heat. Add 1 tsp fennel seeds, let it lightly brown and then add sliced onions, peeled garlic and few curry leaves.
- Now, add a little salt and sauté until onions turns translucent.
- Add in ginger garlic paste and mix well.
- Now, add chopped tomatoes and place the lid on to cook on a low heat until it turns mushy.
- To this, add any meat masala powder and mix well.
- Now, add in the cooked crab pieces, curry leaves, slit green chillies and mix well.
- Crush 1 tsp each of fennel seeds and black pepper and add.
- Sprinkle little water, adjust salt and cook on a medium heat for 5 -8 minutes. Cook until gravy thickens and the masala sticks to the crab pieces.
- Add garam masala powder, mix & garnish with coriander and serve with rice.
My Notes:
- Remember that the crabs should be cooked immediately after cleaning since all the essence in the crab will ooze out with time.
- You can vary the amount of chilli powders and pepper to suit your spice level.
- The ginger garlic paste and garam masala powder I have used in this recipe is homemade which is preferable. But, you can also use store bought masala.
- I’m using Chettinad chicken masala for the meat masala powder.
Do check out other Seafood Recipes and Non-Vegetarian Recipes from blog!!
Also, do not miss out Crab Curry or Peethalu Iguru !!
Many more to come!!…..STAY TUNED!!
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Happy Cooking 
Cheers!!
Padma.
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