Ingredients
Crab
- 6land crabs, cleaned
- or 6 blue crabs
- juice of 2 limes
- salt, for washing
Base
- 2onions, chopped
- 1green pepper, chopped
- 3celery sticks, chopped
- 4garlic cloves, crushed
- 4 tablespoonsoil
- or 100 g salt pork, diced
- 3 tablespoonstomato paste
- 4tomatoes, chopped
- 4 sprigsthyme
- 1goat pepper, whole
- 1 teaspoonbrowning, optional
Rice
- 500 glong grain rice
- 750 mlwater or crab stock
- salt and black pepper
To serve
- hot pepper sauce
- lime wedges
- sliced avocado
Directions
- Take only what you will actually use. Bahamians take this step seriously. Chill the crab in the freezer for twenty minutes. Cleaning the crab takes some work. Pull the top shell away from the body. Remove and discard the feathery gills. Rinse out the body cavity thoroughly.
- Keep the orange fat from inside the shell. Cut the body into halves or quarters. Crack the claws with the back of a heavy knife. Rub everything with lime and salt. Rinse it thoroughly afterwards. It should end up dark rather than pale. Heat the oil in a large heavy pot. Salt pork gives a deeper savoury base.
- Add the chopped onion, pepper and celery. Cook them for about eight minutes until soft. Add the crushed garlic and cook for one minute. Stir the tomato paste in as well. Fry it for a good three minutes.
- Add the chopped tomatoes and the thyme. Cook them down for about six minutes. Add the crab pieces and the reserved fat. Turn them over to coat them in the base. Let them cook for about six minutes. Add the whole goat pepper as well. Never let it burst in the pot.
- Rinse the rice until the water runs clear. Drain it thoroughly afterwards. Add it to the pot with the crab. Stir it through the base thoroughly. Every single grain should be coated. Let it fry for about two minutes. Adding the liquid needs some care.
- Pour in the water or crab stock. Use about one and a half parts liquid to rice. Add the browning if you are using it. Season it with salt and black pepper. Bring the whole pot up to a boil. Cover the pot with a tight lid. Let it cook for about twenty minutes. Do not lift the lid at any point. Take the pot off the heat entirely. Leave the lid on and let it stand. Give it a full ten minutes to rest.
- Take the lid off and remove the pepper. Lift and separate rather than stirring. The grains should be dark and separate. Spoon rice and crab onto each plate. Put hot pepper sauce on the table. It keeps two days refrigerated.
Technique
- Land crabs live in burrows inland and must return to the sea to release their eggs, and that nightly march during crab season is when they are caught by hand.
- Catching crabs on the breeding march takes animals on their way to reproduce, and land crab numbers have declined in parts of the Caribbean from harvesting and habitat loss together.
- Caught crabs are traditionally penned and fed on coconut or corn for several days to purge them, which noticeably improves the flavour.
Substitutions
- Blue crab or any sea crab works where land crab is unavailable.
- Salt pork in place of oil gives a deeper savoury base.
Variations
- Some households add pigeon peas to the pot.
- A version with more tomato is made in some families.
- Crab and dough, with dumplings rather than rice, is the other Andros crab dish.
History
An Andros island dish made in crab season, when the land crabs march to the sea and are caught by hand.
Frequently asked questions
What is Crab and rice?
Crab and rice is a main from Bahamas: land crab cooked down with rice, thyme and tomato until dark. An Andros island dish made in crab season, when the land crabs march to the sea and are caught by hand.
How long does Crab and rice take to make?
Crab and rice takes 45 minutes of preparation and 1 hour of cooking. The recipe makes serves 6. It is rated medium to make.
What can I substitute in Crab and rice?
Yes, within limits. Blue crab or any sea crab works where land crab is unavailable. Salt pork in place of oil gives a deeper savoury base.
What is the most important thing to get right in Crab and rice?
Keep the orange fat from inside the shell. Cut the body into halves or quarters. Crack the claws with the back of a heavy knife. Rub everything with lime and salt. Rinse it thoroughly afterwards. It should end up dark rather than pale. Heat the oil in a large heavy pot. Salt pork gives a deeper savoury base.
