Seafood flavours

Many of you will be heading to Tobago to vacation for part of the holidays. If you happen to be self-catering then why not try to create some Tobago specialities, pick up some crabs and shrimp from your local fisherman and enjoy a delicious feast from the following recipes.

Hot and spicy pepper crabs

Marinade

2 lbs fresh crab, cleaned and chopped into two each

1 tbs minced garlic

2 tsp salt

2 tsp fresh lime juice

2 tbs vegetable oil for frying

1 tbs chopped garlic

2 tbs Chinese chili garlic sauce

1 hot pepper, chopped

1/4 cup chopped chives

Sauce

1 tbs oyster sauce

1 tbs tomato ketchup

½ tsp granulated sugar

1 tsp sesame oil

Season crabs with the marinade, refrigerate for about 30 minutes.

Combine sauce ingredients and set aside.

Heat a large sauté pan or wok, add vegetable oil, add garlic, chili garlic sauce and hot pepper, stir and fry until fragrant, add crabs to wok, stir and fry until they turn reddish in colour, cover and steam cook for 15 minutes, then add sauce ingredients, stir fry for a few minutes more.

Remove from pot and sprinkle with chives.

Serves 4

Curry crab and coconut dumplings

Filling:

6 ozs crab meat

Salt and pepper to taste

1 tsp lime juice

2 tbs vegetable oil

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 small onion, chopped

1 pimento pepper, seeded and chopped

¼ tsp allspice

Curry sauce

2 tbs vegetable oil

1 hot pepper, seeded and chopped

2 tbs chopped onion

2 cloves garlic

2 tbs curry powder

½ cup water

2 cups coconut milk

¼ cup chopped chadon beni

¼ cup chopped chives

juice of one lime

Dumplings

2 cups flour

1 tsp butter

2 tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

Place all ingredients in a mixing bowl and rub butter into flour until mixture is grainy, slowly all water and knead to a stiff dough.

Cover and et rest for about 30 minutes.

Season crab with salt, pepper, and lime juice.

In a large sauté pan, heat oil, add garlic, onion and pimento pepper, cook for about one minute, add crab and toss to combine, Remove from stove and cool.

Cut dumpling dough into 12 pieces. Make each piece into a round. Shape each piece of dough into a 2½ to 3 inch circle. Place about one teaspoon of meat into the lower centre of the dough. Fold other half over and seal. Repeat until all the dumplings have been filled.

Make the curry sauce:

Heat vegetable oil in a sauté pan, add garlic, onion and pepper.

Sauté until fragrant.

Combine curry powder with water. Add to pan and cook until mixture begins to dry.

Add coconut milk and sprinkle on chives and chadon beni. Cook until bubbly.

Drop dumplings into curry mixture, cover and steam for a further 10 minutes,

Turning dumplings once.

If mixture seems too dry add a little more coconut milk or broth.

Sprinkle on more chadon beni if necessary.

Taste and adjust seasonings.

Serves 4 to 6

Caribbean shrimp and fish burgers with chadon beni mayo

1 lb small shrimp, peeled and deveined

½ lb boneless fresh fish fillets

1 tsp minced garlic

2 tbs minced chives

1 tsp Dijon mustard

½ tsp allspice powder

Salt to taste

1 egg yolk

⅓ cup soft breadcrumbs.

Mince shrimp and fish in food processor, stir in the rest of the ingredients.

Form into 3 inch patties and pan fry for about 2 minutes per side, in hot olive oil.

Serve in burger buns topped with lettuce, tomato and chadon beni mayo. Serve with sweet potato fries.

Makes 6

Chadon beni mayo

½ cup low fat mayo

1 tbs finely chopped chadon beni

1 clove garlic, minced

½ tsp pepper sauce

Combine all the ingredients and cover, refrigerate until ready for use.

Makes ½ cup

To make sweet potato fries simply peel some sweet potatoes, cut into French fry-sized strips and cook in deep hot oil until just golden, remove when good and crisp.

Drain and lightly salt.

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