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Caranguejada
Caranguejada: whole crabs boiled in a spiced tomato, coconut and coriander broth
Thursday night is crab night in Fortaleza: the beach shacks along Praia do Futuro fill up for the quinta do caranguejo, and tables are covered in whole crabs, wooden mallets and bowls of broth. The crabs are boiled in a spiced broth of tomato, onion, peppers, coconut milk and plenty of coriander, then cracked open by hand, the sweet meat dipped back into the broth and eaten with pirão and lime. Mangrove crabs are used in Ceará; blue crabs or brown crabs work well elsewhere. Crabs must be alive and lively when you buy them, or bought frozen raw or ready-cooked from a fishmonger; never cook a raw crab that has died. The big mistake is under-salting the broth, which leaves the meat bland; it should taste like well-seasoned soup. Chef's tip: chill live crabs in the freezer for about an hour before cooking so they are completely still and insensible, then scrub them well.
- Total time
- 120 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
To serve
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Put live 8 live crabs in the freezer for about 1 hour until they are completely still. Discard any crab that was dead before chilling.
60 minStep 2: Scrub the crabs under cold running water with a stiff brush, especially around the legs and underside.
Step 3: Heat 3 tbsp olive oil in a very large pot over a medium heat and fry 2 onions, 6 cloves garlic, 4 tomatoes and 2 green and red peppers with 1 tsp ground annatto (colorau) for 8 minutes until soft and red.
8 minStep 4: Add 2 litres water, 1 ¾ cups coconut milk, 2 tbsp salt and half of 0.5 bunch fresh coriander and bring to a rolling boil.
Step 5: Lower in the crabs, cover and boil for 15–20 minutes (depending on size) until the shells are bright orange-red and the meat is white and opaque when you crack a claw.
20 minStep 6: Lift the crabs onto a platter, stir the rest of 0.5 bunch fresh coriander into the broth and taste for salt.
Step 7: Serve the crabs with bowls of broth, 2 limes wedges and 2 tbsp malagueta pepper sauce, with mallets or the back of a heavy spoon for cracking.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 330 kcal
- Protein
- 30 g
- Carbs
- 14 g
- Fat
- 18 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does caranguejada take?
- About 120 minutes in total: 85 minutes to prepare and 35 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of onions?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
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