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Bahamas · Land Crab

Andros Crab ’n’ Rice

Crab ’n’ Rice

Andros is the land crab capital of the Bahamas, and every summer the island celebrates with a crab festival. This one-pot rice, cooked with the crab fat, salt pork, tomato and thyme, is the dish everyone lines up for.

  • Prep 40 min
  • Cook 45 min
  • Serves 6
  • Level Medium
Photo: ROMAN ODINTSOV · Pexels
Served with: Bahamian Coleslaw ↓En Español

Ingredients

Tap each item as you gather it.

For the crabs

For the rice

Method

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

  1. Cook and pick the crabs. Boil the crabs 10 minutes, cool, and crack them open. Scrape the yellow-green fat from the shells into a bowl and pick out the meat. Keep both.
  2. Render the pork. In a heavy pot over medium heat, cook the salt pork in the oil 5 minutes until crisp and the fat runs out.
  3. Add the seasoning. Add the onion, bell pepper, celery and garlic and cook 5 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste, thyme and goat pepper and cook 2 minutes more.
  4. Add the crab and rice. Stir in the crab fat and meat, then the rice, until every grain is coated and reddish. Add the water, browning, 1½ tsp salt and some pepper.
  5. Steam. Bring to a boil, then cover tightly and cook on low 20–25 minutes until the water is gone and the rice is tender. Fluff with a fork and serve with coleslaw.

On the side

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

The Bahamas

Bahamian Coleslaw

Coleslaw

Crunchy, slightly sweet cabbage slaw with a kick of goat pepper. In Nassau’s Arawak Cay fish fry it comes with every plate of fried snapper.

  • Prep 15 min + 30 min chilling
  • Cook 0 min
  • Serves 6
  • Level Easy

You need

  • ½ medium green cabbage, finely shredded (about 5 cups)
  • 2 carrots, grated
  • ¼ small onion, grated
  • ⅔ cup mayonnaise
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • 1 tbsp white vinegar
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ goat or Scotch bonnet pepper, minced (optional)

How to make it

  1. Shred. Shred the cabbage very fine and grate the carrots and onion into a big bowl.
  2. Make the dressing. Whisk the mayonnaise, sugar, vinegar, salt and hot pepper until the sugar dissolves.
  3. Toss. Pour the dressing over the vegetables and toss until everything is coated.
  4. Chill. Cover and chill at least 30 minutes. Stir again before serving.

Photo: Stanistani · CC BY-SA 3.0

More ways to cook Land Crab

Same fish, a different corner of the sea.

Loíza, Puerto RicoPuerto Rican Land Crab Salmorejo
Piñones, Puerto RicoPiñones Land Crab Turnovers
Trinidad, Trinidad and TobagoTrinidad Crab and Callaloo