With an impressive 105km of glorious coastline, it’s no wonder that Goa is famed for producing some exceptionally fresh and tasty seafood. In every nook and corner of Goa, one can find authentic Goan food but the same will vary in taste.

Ambot Tik, Recheado, Sukhem and Balchao are some of the signature seafood dishes that the Goan cuisine boasts of. Fish is the main ingredient for these dishes or preparations, most of the times mainly because of how well they compliment each other.

Ingredients:
500-800 gms of fresh Crabs
2 bay leaves
2-3 cloves
6-7 black peppercorns
1/2 inch cinnamon
2 green cardamom
1-2 green chillies chopped
1/2 cup chopped onions
1/2 tsp turmeric
3/4-1 tsp red chilli powder
Salt
Oil
For the coconut masala:
1/2 cup sliced onions
1 cup grated coconut
1 tbsp coriander seeds
3-4 cloves
3-4 black peppercorns
2 tbsp oil

Method:

• Start by heating a heavy bottom pan on medium flame. Add 2 tbsps of oil and saute all the ingredients for the coconut masala till the coconut is golden brown. Make sure you don’t increase the heat or the spices will burn and will turn bitter. Keep aside to cool and grind to a fine paste with 1/4 cup of water.
• To make the curry, heat oil in a pot again on medium heat and fry the bay leaves, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves and green chillies.
• Next add in the chopped onions and fry till golden. Time to add in the turmeric and red chilli powder. Now, you can add kashmiri red chilli for better color or bedki red chilli powder for more spice. Tip: reduce the number of green chillies accordingly.
• Now add in the crab and mix well together. Once the crabs begin to change color add the ground coconut paste and salt. Give this a good stir making sure the crab is well coated in all the spices.
• Add 3/4 cup of water and let it simmer for another 5-6 minutes. Check if the crabs are done and remove from heat.
• Garnish with freshly chopped coriander leaves and serve with Poee or Lemon Rice.