Bommi’s Crab Pepper Fry

Bommi’s family have long been the crab-sellers of Thazhankuppam in Ennore, Tamil Nadu. Her mother set up the business, procuring crabs from fishers locally, and then from Pazhaverkadu (or Pulicat) when Ennore’s waters were too polluted. The family nearly has a monopoly because commuting to Pazhaverkadu through unpaved roads for an hour in the middle of the night to buy crabs, make the return journey, and stay awake to sell them in the morning is tedious for most.

Bommi has done this herself, especially on weekends, when buyers from the city centre would visit Thazhankuppam market. She has, thankfully, now found a supplier who will bring the crabs to her family home, where crabs are stored in large or tall palm frond baskets, right in the hallway. Buyers might call her if they missed her at the market and could pick up their purchase from her house instead.

The three-storey house is almost at the beach; the construction of ports and other coastal infrastructure has set off steady sea erosion, bringing fishers’ homes much closer to the beach, now secured by groynes. Bommi lives with her children on the top floor. The climb can be a slow one, because the family raises a number of dogs that are either wary of you and block your way, or demand to be petted. Her simple recipe is worth every step, using the freshest crabs possible.