Sri Lankan crab and coastal seafood where and what to eat from the famous crab to the local fishing village catch
I am a seafood obsessive and I gather Sri Lankan crab is world famous (I have heard of the crab restaurant) plus prawns cuttlefish and the daily catch What seafood should I seek where do I eat it the fancy crab place versus a humble fishing village shack how is it cooked (the chilli crab the garlic butter the curry) what is in season and how do I avoid overpaying or getting yesterday catch Coastal cooks and seafood hunters please feed me
6 Answers from travellers
Coastal seafood family so let me feed you properly The famous crab Sri Lankan lagoon mud crab is genuinely world class big sweet meaty and the islands signature seafood the celebrated Colombo crab restaurant put it on the global map (ironically much of the best crab was long exported so locals say the restaurant gave Sri Lankans their own crab back) you can eat the headline version there OR find excellent crab far cheaper at coastal and lagoon town restaurants How crab is cooked the classics the pepper crab (black pepper sauce) the chilli crab (sweet spicy) the garlic butter and the Sri Lankan crab CURRY (in a spiced coconut gravy the local soul version) get the curry at a local place it is sublime and messy eat it with your hands and bread or rice The wider catch to seek prawns (the big lagoon ones) cuttlefish and squid (devilled is fantastic spicy stir fried) fish ambul thiyal (the sour dry fish curry a southern specialty) grilled whole fish at a beach shack seer fish (thora) steaks the lagoon and reef fish and the little fried sprats Where to eat it the SPECTRUM the fancy crab restaurant for the famous experience the coastal town seafood restaurants (Negombo the lagoon towns the south coast) for excellent value crab and fish and the humble FISHING VILLAGE shack or the beach BBQ where you pick your fish from the days catch and they grill it that is often the best and freshest eat where the boats land In season and freshness seafood is good year round but freshest where it is landed eat at the coast not inland choose the busy place with turnover pick your fish from ice or tank ask what came in today and at a beach BBQ see it before they cook it Avoiding overpaying and old catch agree the PRICE before they cook (crab and fish are often priced by weight so confirm the weight and price up front this is where tourists get stung) eat at the fishing towns not the tourist strip for value and choose the place full of locals The seafood plan the famous crab once for the experience the local crab curry at a coastal town for the soul a beach BBQ from the days catch for the freshness confirm weight and price before cooking and eat where the boats come in
Street food cook adding the devilled cuttlefish and devilled prawns from a good local place are the dish to order spicy sticky stir fried heaven and far cheaper than crab a brilliant everyday seafood fix
The confirm the price by weight before cooking warning is gold a friend got a shock bill on a crab priced per kilo that turned out huge agree the number first and it is a feast not a fleecing
The ambul thiyal sour fish curry travels well too it is dry and keeps so it is the one seafood dish you find inland and a southern classic worth seeking even away from the coast
Following up after a fishing village BBQ picking the fish off the ice and watching it grill over coconut husk on the beach at sunset was the best meal of the trip the boats land it the shack grills it perfection
The famous crab once the local crab curry for the soul and a beach BBQ from the days catch and confirm weight and price before they cook this is the seafood map I dreamed of the crab curry eaten by hand it is thank you
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