West Africa · Soup
Caldo de Caranguejo (Mangrove Crab and Palm Oil Soup)
A luscious, crimson coastal soup of sweet mangrove crabs simmered with fragrant red dendê oil, okra, and fiery scotch bonnets.
The story
Harvested by Balanta and Creole fishing communities during the torrential rains that flood Guinea-Bissau's vast coastal mangrove swamps, Caldo de Caranguejo honors the bounty of the shoreline. The crabs are gathered directly from intertidal mudflats and simmered shell-on to impart oceanic minerality directly into the unctuous broth. Traditional cooks lightly crack the crab claws prior to simmering so the unrefined red palm oil (azeite de palma) can penetrate and infuse the sweet claw meat.
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