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Crab Stew

Also known as Crab Stew (Nigerian Style)

Nigerian Crab Stew is a premium coastal dish made from whole fresh crabs or crab pieces cooked in the richly fried Nigerian tomato and pepper sauce. Fresh crabs from the coastal waters, estuaries and creeks of Southern Nigeria are cleaned, halved and cooked in the sauce where they release their natural sweetness and briny flavour into the stew.

Crab Stew, Nigerian cooking

Ingredients

  • 4 to 6 medium fresh crabs, cleaned and halved
  • Lemon juice and salt for cleaning
  • 1 teaspoon of curry powder
  • 1 teaspoon of thyme
  • 2 seasoning cubes (Knorr), crushed
  • Salt to taste FOR THE STEW:
  • 4 big ripe tomatoes, blended
  • 3 Tatashe (red bell peppers), blended
  • 4 Atarodo (hot chilli peppers), blended
  • 1 big onion, sliced
  • 3 cooking spoons of vegetable oil
  • 2 big handfuls of ground crayfish
  • Salt to taste

Method

  1. 01

    Cleaning the Crabs. Clean the crabs thoroughly. Remove the top shell, gills and digestive organs. Rinse under cold running water. Rub with lemon juice and salt. Halve each crab to expose the flesh for better cooking and easier eating. Season with curry, thyme, 1 seasoning cube and salt.

  2. 02

    Making the Pepper Base. Heat 3 cooking spoons of oil in a wide, deep pot over medium-high heat. Add sliced onion and fry 2 minutes. Add blended tomatoes, Tatashe and Atarodo. Fry for 20 to 25 minutes until deeply cooked and oil floats on top.

  3. 03

    Cooking the Crabs in the Stew. Add the seasoned crab halves to the fried pepper base. Add ground crayfish, remaining seasoning cube and salt. Add 3 big tablespoons of water. Stir gently to coat the crabs in the sauce. Cover and cook on medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes, turning the crabs once halfway through. The crab shells will turn bright orange-red as they cook.

  4. 04

    Serving. Transfer to a serving platter. Serve hot, shells and all — the crab is eaten by cracking the shells and extracting the sweet meat.

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