Crab salad with coconut and curry leaves (Salada de caranguejos)

Serves 4

This is a Goan dish, hence the colonial Portuguese name. You can use freshly picked white crab meat or even spider crab. It's great served with kumquat chutney.

3tbsp vegetable or coconut oil
11/2tsp mustard seeds
10 curry leaves
1tsp finely chopped or grated root ginger
1/2tsp finely chopped green chilli
1 small onion, peeled and finely chopped
300g freshly picked white crab meat
1tsp turmeric
A couple of good pinches of salt
3tbsp coconut milk
1tbsp freshly grated coconut
1tbsp chopped coriander leaves

Heat the oil in a wok or frying pan, add the mustard seeds and cook for a couple of minutes on a medium flame until they start to pop. Add the curry leaves and cook for another minute; then add the ginger and chilli, and continue cooking for another minute, stirring every so often.

Add the onion and continue cooking for a minute without colouring. Add the crab meat and turmeric, then season with salt and cook on a low heat for a minute. Add the coconut milk, grated coconut and coriander, then remove from the heat, transfer to a bowl and leave to cool.