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Cuba · Blue Crab

Cuban Crab in Creole Sauce

Cangrejo Enchilado

On the north coast of Cuba, a bucket of crabs means enchilado night: the crabs simmered in a red sofrito sauce with wine and cumin, and everyone at the table cracking shells with their hands.

  • Prep 30 min
  • Cook 40 min
  • Serves 4
  • Level Medium
Photo: Dekcuf · CC BY-SA 2.0
Served with: Cuban Yuca with Garlic Mojo ↓En Español

Ingredients

Tap each item as you gather it.

For the crabs

For the enchilado sauce

Method

Step by step, the way it is done on the island.

  1. Clean the crabs. Chill the crabs in ice water until still. Pull off the top shell, remove the gills and guts, scrub, and split the bodies in half. Crack the big claws lightly with the back of a knife so the sauce gets in. Rub with lime and salt.
  2. Make the sofrito. Heat the oil in a large pot and cook the onion and pepper 8 minutes. Add the garlic for 1 minute.
  3. Build the sauce. Stir in the tomato sauce, tomato paste, wine, water, cumin, oregano, bay leaf and sugar. Simmer 10 minutes.
  4. Cook the crabs. Add the crabs, stir to coat, cover and simmer 15–20 minutes, stirring now and then, until the shells are bright red and the sauce is thick. Season with salt, pepper and hot sauce.
  5. Serve. Sprinkle with parsley and serve in a big bowl with yuca con mojo, plenty of napkins and an empty bowl for the shells.

On the side

The side dish that belongs with it, full recipe included.

Cuba

Cuban Yuca with Garlic Mojo

Yuca con Mojo

Tender boiled yuca drenched in a hot mojo of garlic, sour orange and sizzling oil, with raw onion on top. A Cuban side for any fish off the grill.

  • Prep 15 min
  • Cook 30 min
  • Serves 4–6
  • Level Easy

You need

  • 2 lb (900 g) yuca (cassava), fresh or frozen
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 8 garlic cloves
  • ½ cup sour orange juice (or ⅓ cup orange + 3 tbsp lime)
  • ½ cup olive oil
  • 1 small onion, sliced thin
  • ½ tsp ground cumin

How to make it

  1. Prep the yuca. Peel the yuca, cut into 3-inch (7.5 cm) pieces and split them lengthwise. Pull out the woody string in the center.
  2. Boil. Cover with cold water, add the salt and boil 20–25 minutes until tender and some pieces start to split open. Drain and put on a platter.
  3. Make the mojo. Mash the garlic with a pinch of salt and mix with the sour orange juice and cumin. Heat the olive oil until shimmering, add the onion for 30 seconds, then pour it carefully over the garlic mixture.
  4. Dress. Spoon the hot mojo and onions over the yuca right away and serve.

Photo: @joefoodie · CC BY 2.0

More ways to cook Blue Crab

Same fish, a different corner of the sea.

Store Bay, Tobago, Trinidad and TobagoTobago Curry Crab
Salvador, Bahia, BrazilBrazilian Stuffed Crab Shells
Ebro Delta, Catalonia, SpainEbro Delta Blue Crab Rice
Baltimore, MarylandMaryland Lump Crab Cakes