Crab Sauté With Spicy Coconut Sauce

• 4 garlic cloves, pressed
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 2 cooked Dungeness crabs (4 1/2 pounds total), cleaned, cracked, each cut into 8 pieces
• 5 dried chiles de arbol*
• 8 whole black peppercorns
• 5 whole cloves
• 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
• 1 teaspoon aniseed
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1/2 cinnamon stick
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut**
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 2 1/2 cups finely chopped onions
• 1 cup canned unsweetened coconut milk**
• 1/2 cup water
• Lime wedges
• Steamed rice

1. Mix garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, and turmeric in bowl. Place crab on rimmed baking sheet; smear garlic mixture over. Cover; chill 2 hours.
2. Heat medium skillet over medium heat. Add chiles and next 7 ingredients; stir until toasted, about 3 minutes. Transfer to spice grinder; cool. Add coconut to skillet and stir until light brown, about 5 minutes; cool. Add 1/3 cup coconut to spices in grinder; blend well. Add remaining coconut, 1/3 cup at a time, grinding finely.
3. Heat oil in large deep skillet over medium heat. Add onions; saute until golden, about 20 minutes. Add crabs and coconut-spice mixture; reduce heat to low. Cook until heated, tossing with tongs, about 5 minutes. Add coconut milk and 1/2 cup water; bring to simmer. Cover; simmer 15 minutes, turning often. Transfer crab to platter. Serve with lime wedges and rice.
4. **Sold at some supermarkets, specialty foods stores, and natural foods stores.

garlic, salt, ground turmeric, crabs, uerbol, black peppercorns, cloves, coriander seeds, aniseed, cumin seeds, cinnamon, ground nutmeg, coconut, vegetable oil, onions, coconut milk, water, wedges, rice

Taken from www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/crab-saute-with-spicy-coconut-sauce-237094 (may not work)