A woman with long dark hair frowns in concentration as she cuts into a golden samosa with a pink-handled knife. Several samosas are piled on a dark slate board and a small blue decorative bowl of spiced tomato chutney sits alongside. A flute of sparkling wine stands in the background on a glass dining table in a modern kitchen.

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Crab & Pea Samosas

Name: Crab & Pea Samosas
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 300 g White crab meat; 150 g Frozen peas; 1 Small onion; 2 cloves Garlic; 1 tsp Fresh ginger; 1 tsp Ground cumin; 1 tsp Ground coriander; 0.5 tsp Garam masala; 0.5 tsp Chilli flakes; 0.5 tsp Turmeric; Salt and pepper; 1 tbsp Fresh coriander; 1 tbsp Rapeseed oil; 12 Frozen spring roll wrappers; 2 tbsp Plain flour

Crispy spring roll pastry parcels filled with seasoned crab and peas, shallow-fried to a golden finish and served with a spiced tomato chutney.

Prep 20 min Cook 20 min 4 servings

Nutrition per serving

380 kcal calories

18 g protein

38 g carbs

16 g fat

3 g sugar

Fibre 3g

Added sugar 0g

Sodium 480mg

See how it compares to the classic ↓

In the clinic

1700% more protein

Vegetable samosas this version

Compared to Vegetable samosas (BBC Good Food)

Classically made with a short-pastry or maida dough, deep-fried, and filled with spiced lamb mince or potato and peas, absorbing significantly more oil in the process.

+200% fibre

Per serving	Vegetable samosas	This recipe	Difference
Calories	105 kcal	380 kcal	+262%
Carbs	10g	38g	+280%
Fat	7g	16g	+129%
Saturated fat	1g	2g	+100%
Sugar	1g	3g	+200%
Sodium	172mg	480mg	+179%
Fibre	1g	3g	+200%
Protein	1g	18g	+1700%

What changed

Deep-frying in a large volume of oil Shallow-frying with a thin layer of oil

Cuts total fat by roughly half because the pastry absorbs far less oil when only one side is submerged at a time.
Traditional maida or shortcrust samosa pastry Ready-made frozen spring roll wrappers

Spring roll pastry is thinner and lower in fat than the traditional dough, so the finished samosa is lighter and crisps up with less oil.
Spiced lamb mince or potato filling White crab meat

Crab provides roughly the same protein as lamb but with a fraction of the saturated fat, and far fewer calories than a potato-based filling.
Plain potato filling Garden peas added to the crab

Peas bring extra fibre and plant protein without adding fat, helping to keep you fuller for longer.

Per serving. Our figures are estimates; the comparison's are the published nutrition of the BBC Good Food recipe.

Priyanka shared these beauties in the family group chat and we immediately needed the recipe. Crab replaces the usual lamb or potato filling for a lighter, protein-rich twist, with sweet peas adding colour and a little fibre.

Ingredients

Servings 4

300 g White crab meat, tinned or fresh, drained well
150 g Frozen peas, defrosted
1 Small onion, finely diced
2 cloves Garlic, crushed
1 tsp Fresh ginger, finely grated
1 tsp Ground cumin
1 tsp Ground coriander
0.5 tsp Garam masala
0.5 tsp Chilli flakes, or to taste
0.5 tsp Turmeric
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 tbsp Fresh coriander, roughly chopped
1 tbsp Rapeseed oil, for the filling, plus extra for shallow-frying
12 Frozen spring roll wrappers, defrosted, roughly 20 cm square
2 tbsp Plain flour, mixed with 3 tbsp cold water to make a paste, for sealing

Compared to Vegetable samosas (BBC Good Food)

1700% more protein200% more fibre Full comparison ↑

Instructions

Heat 1 tablespoon of rapeseed oil in a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. Add the diced onion and cook for 5 minutes until soft and translucent.
Add the garlic and ginger and cook for a further 1 minute, stirring constantly so they do not catch.
Stir in the cumin, ground coriander, garam masala, chilli flakes and turmeric. Cook for 30 seconds until fragrant.
Add the defrosted peas and stir well to coat them in the spice mixture. Cook for 2 minutes, then remove the pan from the heat.
Fold in the crab meat and fresh coriander. Season well with salt and pepper, then set aside to cool completely. The filling must be fully cool before you wrap the samosas, or the wrappers will go soggy.
Lay one spring roll wrapper on a clean board. Place roughly 2 heaped tablespoons of filling near one corner. Fold the corner over the filling to form a triangle, then continue folding in triangles along the wrapper, keeping the shape tight. Dab the flour paste along the final edge and press firmly to seal. Repeat with the remaining wrappers and filling.
Pour rapeseed oil into a large, wide frying pan to a depth of about 1 cm and heat over a medium-high heat. The oil is ready when a small piece of wrapper sizzles immediately on contact.
Shallow-fry the samosas in batches of 3 or 4, turning carefully with tongs every 2 minutes, for 6 to 8 minutes total until deep golden and crisp all over. Do not crowd the pan or the temperature will drop and the samosas will absorb more oil.
Lift out with tongs and drain on a rack lined with kitchen paper. Serve hot with the spiced tomato chutney alongside.