This is the most quintessential Bahamian dish, a rice so flavourful, “you’ll want to eat the spoon!” Andros is the largest island in the Bahamas (2,300 square miles), known as “The Land of Crabs.” It’s home of the annual crab festival and the birthplace of my grandmother, she made it best with the addition of coconut oil, earthy pigeon peas and salted beef.
Ingredients
Directions
In a 1-quart (1 L) saucepan, add beef with water to cover over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes or until beef is tender. Drain and set aside.
Extract the crab’s mustard (or yellow fat) by separating the back from the body and removing it with a spoon. Set aside in a small dish.
In a 4-quart (4 L) wide-bottomed pot, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion, celery, bell peppers, and cook for 3 minutes, add garlic cook for 1 minute or until fragrant.
Add paste, crab’s mustard (or fat), stir and cook for 1 minute. Add beef, cook 1-2minutes, thyme, sugar, stir to dissolve.
Then, add browning, peas, crab, stir and cook 3 minutes. Increase heat to high, add rice, salt, and continue stirring for 3 minutes to toast the rice.
Add hot water to cover by ½ inch, add thyme sprigs, bay leaf, reduce heat to the lowest setting, cover with a lid and cook for 15 minutes or until water evaporates and rice is cooked (not
grainy).
Fluff with a fork and serve at once with coleslaw and fried plantains.
Ingredients
Directions
In a 1-quart (1 L) saucepan, add beef with water to cover over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes or until beef is tender. Drain and set aside.
Extract the crab’s mustard (or yellow fat) by separating the back from the body and removing it with a spoon. Set aside in a small dish.
In a 4-quart (4 L) wide-bottomed pot, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion, celery, bell peppers, and cook for 3 minutes, add garlic cook for 1 minute or until fragrant.
Add paste, crab’s mustard (or fat), stir and cook for 1 minute. Add beef, cook 1-2minutes, thyme, sugar, stir to dissolve.
Then, add browning, peas, crab, stir and cook 3 minutes. Increase heat to high, add rice, salt, and continue stirring for 3 minutes to toast the rice.
Add hot water to cover by ½ inch, add thyme sprigs, bay leaf, reduce heat to the lowest setting, cover with a lid and cook for 15 minutes or until water evaporates and rice is cooked (not
grainy).
Fluff with a fork and serve at once with coleslaw and fried plantains.