Martinican Crab Matoutou
A crab stew with tomato, lime and colombo powder, served with rice cooked separately. The quantities make 4 servings; the estimated times are 30 minutes of preparation and 50 minutes of cooking.
Crab matoutou is a Martinican dish associated with Easter and Pentecost celebrations. This version pairs stewed crabs with aromatics and spices, served with rice cooked separately. The serving count and preparation time are estimates.
Ingredient allergens
Allergen listThere are no verified associations for these ingredients yet.
Method
- 01
Clean and marinate the crabs
Clean and rinse the crabs, coat them with the juice of 2 limes, and add some of the salt, the crushed garlic and the chopped chili. Lightly crack the claws so the marinade can penetrate.
Ready to continue when: The crabs are clean, coated with marinade and have lightly cracked claws.
15 min - 02
Cook the rice
Bring 1 litre of water to a boil. Add the rice and cook until tender; drain it if water remains. Set it aside to serve separately from the stew.
Ready to continue when: The rice is tender when tasted, with no cooking water left pooled around it.
15 min - 03
Sauté the aromatics and brown the crabs
Heat the oil in a large pot. Add the Caribbean chives, chopped onions and remaining garlic; sauté until fragrant. Add the crabs with their marinade and brown them, stirring.
Ready to continue when: The aromatics smell fragrant and the crabs have changed appearance, with nothing sticking to the bottom becoming burnt.
15 min - 04
Add the tomatoes and spices
Add the diced tomatoes and cook until they begin to soften. Add the colombo powder, cloves, parsley and remaining salt, then stir to distribute them.
Ready to continue when: The tomatoes begin to release their juices and the spices are evenly distributed through the stew.
5 min - 05
Simmer and serve
Cover the pot and cook gently for 15 minutes, until the sauce is very thick and the crabs turn orange. Add the juice of the remaining 4 limes at the end. Serve with the reserved rice.
Ready to continue when: The sauce is very thick, the crabs look orange and the lime juice has been added just before serving.
15 min
Ingredients
Sources and review
Content researched, cross-checked and automatically validated. Sources consulted:
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- - YouTube www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3db8LkT_F0
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State: Published after documentary validation; no “Tested” label is shown.