I made my first version of The Crabby Feeyancee shortly after my husband and I got engaged. We winged off to New Orleans for a weekend and threw the word fiancé around with the same abandon that we applied to eating po’boys, étouffée and beignets.
In New Orleans so many words lilt up into a drawly, long A. So, for us, fiancé always gets some Big Easy smacked on it.
Many moments simmer into dinner in this one pot wonder. Creamy Dungeness crab, jasmine rice and coconut milk mingle.
Habanero pepper, curry powder, ground cumin and garam masala bring fire and smoky warmth.
Fresh lime juice and minced ginger cut in with citrus clarity. Snap peas bring on the crunch. And the whole comforting, slightly feisty Crabby Feeyancee is topped with parsley leaves, slivered scallions and toasted coconut.
The Crabby Feeyancee is vaguely related to étouffée but this fiancé skips the roux like a bride ready to rush the aisle…the chick who does a slamdance dive to catch the lucky bouquet.
Thirty minutes, one pot, a little chopping and swirling is all you need to make this satisfying, layered dish. The Crabby Feeyancee is a big easy, one pot wonder. I make it often for weeknight dinners.
Creamy crab and coconut milk lay down a comforting base that’s soothing enough to calm your better half…should they be, on occasion, grouchy. This dish is spicy enough to keep the fires going. And it’s layered with textures, splashed with bright citrus.
Bon Appétit! Celebrate your big easy love. And when your person is grouchy (hey, life’s hard) give ‘em some crabby, coconut milk, curried comfort.
Recipe: The Crabby Feeyancee: Crab Coconut Curry Rice
Summary: Spicy, flavorful, creamy curried rice with crab, heat and a citrus punch.
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup shallot, minced (approx. one large shallot)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 1/2 teaspoons garam masala
- 3 teaspoons curry powder
- 1/2 habanero pepper, seeded and sliced
- 1 cup coconut milk
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 1/2 cup chopped snap peas
- 1 cup Jasmine rice
- 3 teaspoons freshly peeled and minced ginger
- juice from 1/2 fresh lime
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 pound cooked Dungeness crab
- 4-5 stalks scallion, slivered
- handful of fresh parsley leaves
- optional garnish: toasted coconut
Instructions
- Heat butter in a large pot over low heat
- Add shallot and cook till softened, stirring occasionally approx. 5-7 minutes
- Add cumin, garam masala and curry powder to shallots and stir to combine
- Allow spices to get toasty for a few minutes while stirring constantly
- Add habanero, coconut milk, chicken stock snap peas and jasmine rice and stir to mix well
- Reduce heat to low and cover pot with lid
- Simmer covered for approx. 20-26 minutes.
- the rice should be soft at this point. If it isn’t (as rice can vary with brands) add a bit more stock and continue to simmer until soft.
- Mix fresh ginger, lime juice and salt in a small bowl briefly to combine then add this mixture to the rice/crab/ coconut milk pot.
- Add crab and stir well to combine and warm.
- Taste and add salt or more lime to taste.
- Plate your Crabby Feeyancee and top with slivered scallion, parsley leaves and toasted coconut. Here’s a link to how to make toasted coconut (and a yummy parfait!).
- Enjoy!
Preparation time: 5 minute(s)
Cooking time: 30 minute(s)
Number of servings (yield): 4
Culinary tradition: USA (General)
Copyright © fatpiginthemarket.
Recipe by fat pig.
Microformatting by hRecipe.
Yummers! I will be making this SOON. WD!
Mmm! You know how much I’ve been digging the coconut milk so this is just awesome and I need this in my immediate life. Think I’d have to take it easy on the curry powder though– hubby has an aversion to it, not sure why, orrrr I could just make a whole pot to myself.
And I love crab in just about everything. So good. BTW, I love your clouds placemat/tablecloth. Super cute.
@Stephanie okie dokie artichokie Thank you…that’s a big piece of vintage fabric. I think about making a breezy sundress out of it every summer.