Masala partan
This spicy crab curry uses Scottish brown crab – the ‘partan’ in the recipe title is taken from the gaelic for crab.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp extra virgin rapeseed oil
- 2 garlic cloves, finely grated
- 50g/1¾oz fresh root ginger, peeled and finely grated
- 1 green finger chilli, chopped
- ¼ tsp ground turmeric
- ¼ tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
- ½ tsp garam masala
- 125g chopped tomatoes, from a tin
- 100g/3½oz unsalted butter, diced
- 150g/5½oz wild garlic, roughly chopped
- 4 Scottish brown crabs, cooked, meat picked, body shells cleaned and reserved
- small bunch fresh coriander, finely chopped
- ½ lime, juice only
- 160g/5¾oz fresh white breadcrumbs
- 100g/3½oz Dunlop or mild hard cheese, grated
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
Preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6.
Heat the oil in a heavy-based frying pan over a medium–high heat. Fry the garlic for about 1 minute, or until fragrant but coloured. Add the ginger, chilli and spices and fry for 1–2 minutes. Add the chopped tomatoes and cook until the oil separates from the spices. Mix in the butter and cook for 2 minutes. Season with salt, add the wild garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
Add the crab meat and mix well. Add two-thirds of the coriander, the lime juice and 100g/3½oz breadcrumbs. Mix well and season again if preferred. Spoon the crab mixture into the reserved crab shells.
Mix the cheese and the remaining breadcrumbs together in a small bowl and season with salt and pepper. Top the crabs with the cheese mixture and bake for 10–12 minutes, or until golden-brown. Garnish with the remaining coriander and serve.
