Sri Lanka’s cuisine has broadly been shaped by its geographic position in the Indian Ocean. Surrounded by an 830-mile-long coastline, the ocean’s bounties are aplenty here. Seafood – both fish and shellfish – is an integral part of the island’s diet. Then come the lagoons, rivers, and small streams that wrap around marshes, paddies and forested interiors, bringing freshwater fish in abundance. Crustaceans like blue sea crabs and the iconic mud crabs from the coastal wetlands are prized delicacies, made into delicious, spice-laden curries for weekend feasts with friends and family. 

There’s, in fact, nothing quite like the flavours of a Sri Lankan crab curry, and this October we are introducing our Ceylon Crab Table menu at Kolamba East, our Sri Lankan restaurant in London, where we recreate the kitchen traditions of our island home.​

So before we dig into some Sri Lankan-style succulent crab in the heart of London, let’s look at how we cook crab back home in Sri Lanka.

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Crab in Sri Lanka​

To understand the way Sri Lanka eats, you should, quite truly, visit a Sri Lankan market. And this also stands largely true for crabs. At a fish market on the outskirts of Colombo or in the commercial hubbub of the country's north, the day’s work begins as early as 2am, when fishers from near and far ferry their catch in trucks that are both large and small. The air is thick, the floors wet, and the morning well and alive with the market’s clamour. As groups of fishermen sit behind baskets of leaner sardines, small sprats, and freshwater prawns, others offload their large, line-caught tuna and Spanish mackerels. Here, you’ll also notice rows of crabs on display.

In Sri Lanka, crab is a prized, beloved, and delicious dish that is savored occasionally. The island waters are home to several varieties of crab, like the blue sea crab and the infamous mud crab. The blue sea crabs come from the shallow sea waters. Caught throughout the year, they are also known as blue swimming crabs.

These crabs are smaller in size and noticeable for their striking azure blue. Although they are more affordable and commonplace in daily markets, ask any Sri Lankan and they’ll tell you that mud crabs are their first choice. From appearance, mud crabs are tinged with a bright shade of orange. They are bigger and meatier, with soft, succulent crab meat. As these freshwater crustaceans are often found in muddy mangroves, they are also commonly called lagoon crabs.

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How we cook crab in Sri Lanka

In the land of curries, what rushes to my mind almost instantly is Jaffna crab curry. Originating from the northern region where seafood is abundant all year round, this dish is the most popular way to prepare crab in Sri Lanka.

As with most Sri Lankan curry dishes, this Jaffna-style preparation tends to be spicy with a fiery punch. The crab is simmered for long hours in a coconut milk-based gravy that is flavoured and scented with roasted curry powder (an aromatic mix of ground spices), green chilli, and curry leaves, which are essentials of every island kitchen. Others like cardamom, fennel seeds, and cloves are also added as flavour enhancers. Often served at home or restaurants across the north, we enjoy Jaffna crab curry with a plate of hot white rice, bread, or stringhoppers – locally called idiappa or idiyappam, they are thin, delicate, and steamed noodle mats.

We love the black pepper crab, too. This unique preparation of crab is tied to the way our ancestors ate, and it runs back several centuries. Before chilli was introduced to Sri Lanka, black pepper was often used for seasoning. The recipe uses roasted black pepper, cumin seeds, and fennel seeds to elevate the flavour profile.

Along the West Coast, particularly in the town of Negombo, where fish is often plentiful, crab, too, is deeply cherished. The Negombo-style crab is milder. It doesn’t really use the strong spices like cardamom and fennel, but it’s flavour-packed with moringa leaves, pandan, and tamarind paste. At home, we enjoy this delicious, subtly spicy curry with white rice or buttered roast paan (a soft, thin flatbread with a crispy crust) and spicy pol sambol (an everyday condiment made of grated coconut and chilli).  

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More than just curry

Heading back to the north of Sri Lanka, you’ll find Jaffna kool, also known as odiyal kool, a spicy seafood stew cooked with crab. Packed with nutrients, this thick soup is made with odiyal flour made of the palmyrah palm sprout, vegetables, spices, rice, and produce from the ocean, like crabs, prawns, and varieties of fish.

While it’s usually necessary to have crab in kool, the recipe can – as it often does – change based on the ingredients you have at hand. My mind runs to the first time I slurped a bowl of kool at a local’s backyard shaded by a large mango tree in Jaffna. Each spoon was a burst of flavour: spicy, fiery, and tangy. This one-pot dish is hearty, full of health benefits, and almost entirely exclusive to the Tamils hailing from Sri Lanka’s north.

Jaffna also takes pride in preparing an addictive crab fry, made with tossing onions, tomato, chilli, and curry powder in hot oil with crab. This spicy fry is so delectable that it’s customary at Jaffna homes. And whenever the crab fry makes its way to the capital Colombo, it’s often relished with a glass of arrack, a distilled alcohol native to Sri Lanka made from the sap of coconut flower – you’ll also find it at Kolamba.

However one makes it, crab is more than just a dish in Sri Lanka. Often cooked for hours in claypots, eating crab is both messy and merry. And this ritualistic meal is a reminder that our food is best enjoyed with those you love. So this month, bring your friends and family to Kolamba East for a hearty crab feast. Find out more here.