SPICY CRAB AND PRAWN FRITTERS

"Help - I'm in trouble!!"  This is what I said to my hubby this morning on a rare trip together into our local town.  I had noticed a new bookshop had opened and it is one that I used to pop into frequently when I worked in London.  It sells heavily discounted books including cook books.  Now I used to be able to justify buying cook book upon cook book because I was earning a salary but now it is different.  I'm supposed to be watching what I spend and to be honest I really don't need any more cook books.  Apart from the fact that I have absolutely no more space for books I must have at least one recipe for every conceivable kind of dish out there.  BUT if you are an avid collector of cook books like me you will know how difficult it is to walk past a book without having a peek inside and then of course convincing yourself that you absolutely must have the book to add to your collection.  My hubby didn't say much at the time but I did notice that later in the day he was reading through the Property magazine so I am guessing he thinks it is probably cheaper to move house than to let me loose on a whole lot of new cookery books .  He's probably right!!

Anyway - back to cooking.  This recipe for spicy crab and prawn fritters is from The Australian Women's Weekly Best Food collection.  They are so versatile - you can make them into larger patties and serve them as a main course or make them smaller and serve as a light starter or canape.  The addition of fresh lemon grass makes all the difference.  It is not always easy to get in the shops here so when I do see it I make sure I get some just for these fritters.  They do need some kind of dipping sauce - here I have used my own Sweet Chilli Dipping Sauce -  isn't that colour gorgeous?  They are definitely worth a try.

 

SPICY CRAB AND PRAWN FRITTERS

For the printable version - click here

Prep time: 15 minutes plus 30 minutes chilling time

Cook time: 20 minutes

Total time: 35 minutes plus 30 minutes chilling time

Yield: 6 large or 10 small

Ingredients

• 200g shelled, uncooked prawns (large)
• 170g tinned crab meat, drained
• ½ a tblsp red curry paste
• 1 egg
• 1 green (salad) onion
• 1 tblsp chopped coriander (cilantro)
• 1 tsp chopped fresh lemon grass
• 1 red chilli, seeded & chopped
• olive oil

 

Cooking Directions

1. Dry and drain the crab meat and prawns as much as possible.
2. Blend or process the prawns, crab meat, curry paste, onion, herbs and chilli with about half the egg until just combined.  Every time I make these the consistency is different. It will depend how much water the prawns have absorbed. If the mixture is really too wet to form into patties I would add some fresh breadcrumbs but you really don't want too much as it will detract from the taste of the fish.
3. Using your hands, shape into fritter shapes. The mixture can still be quite wet at this point.
4. Place in the fridge to rest for 30 minutes
5. Heat oil in a large non-stick frying pan and cook fritters, in batches, until golden brown and cooked through.
6. Serve with a dipping sauce.        

Written by: Angela Darroch