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1
Clean the Crabs
15 Mins
Cold running water, about 10°C (50°F)
Rinse each crab under cold running water and scrub the shell, legs and claws with a stiff brush to remove mud and grit. Pull off the apron underneath if you like, and give the crabs a final rinse. Keep them in a covered bowl in the fridge until the sauce is ready.
Handle live crabs from behind, holding the shell — the claws are strong, and a pinch is no joke.
Done when: Clean shells, no mud or grit, crabs still lively.
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2
Build the Criollo Sauce
10 Mins
Medium heat, about 175°C (350°F)
Heat the 30 ml achiote oil in a wide, deep pot over medium heat. Add the 200 g onion, 150 g green pepper and 20 g garlic and cook for about 5 minutes until soft and fragrant. Stir in the 400 g tomatoes, 2 g cumin, 2 g black pepper and 3 g salt, then pour in the 240 ml beer and simmer for 5 minutes until the sauce thickens slightly.
Taste the sauce now and go easy on the salt — the crab meat will add its own saltiness later.
Done when: Soft vegetables, thickened golden-red sauce.
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3
Simmer the Crabs in the Sauce
20 Mins
Gentle simmer, about 95°C (200°F)
Nestle the 8 crabs into the sauce, spooning sauce over them, and put the lid on. Simmer gently for about 20 minutes, turning the crabs once halfway, until the shells are bright red all over and the meat is opaque white and hot through — about 63°C (145°F) in the thickest part of a claw.
Do not boil hard — a fierce boil toughens the meat and splashes sauce everywhere; a lazy simmer is what you want.
Done when: Shells bright red, meat opaque white, 63°C (145°F).
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4
Rest and Check
5 Mins
Resting off the heat, about 80°C (175°F)
Take the pot off the heat and leave it covered for 5 minutes so the crabs finish cooking gently and soak up the sauce. Crack one claw open to check: the meat should be white, firm and steaming, with no grey or translucent patches.
If a claw still looks translucent, put the pot back on a low heat for 3–4 more minutes — it is better to wait than to serve undercooked crab.
Done when: White, firm, steaming meat in the test claw.
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5
Serve at the Table
5 Mins
Serve hot, about 65°C (150°F)
Pile the crabs into a big bowl, spoon the criollo sauce over them, and scatter the 15 g chopped cilantro on top. Serve at once with white rice, boiled green plantain and tomato-onion salad, with lime wedges, a crab mallet (or the back of a heavy spoon) and plenty of napkins — this is a hands-on meal.
Put a bowl in the middle of the table for the empty shells, and give everyone their own small bowl of sauce for dipping.
Done when: Hot crabs in sauce, sides on the table, mallets at hand.
auto_awesome Finishing Touches & Plating
Eat the crabs with your hands, cracking the claws with the mallet and spooning the criollo sauce over the rice. The sauce is half the dish — do not leave it in the pot.
Ecuador
30m
