Arroz Atollado de Cangrejo
Arroz Atollado de Cangrejo is a dish attributed to have originated in the town of El Guapi, located in the Cauca Department of Colombia. This national favorite and traditional dish is made with a combination of rice, tomato onions, peppers, coconut milk, fresh crab and an assortment of herbs and spices.
If you are looking for a nice serving of “comfort food” look no further than Arroz Atollado de Cangrejo.
Arroz Atollado de Cangrejo Recipe-
Ingredients:
- 1 lb. fresh crab meat
- 2 tbsp. scallion infused olive oil
- 1 tbsp. butter
- 1 yellow onion, peeled and chopped fine
- 2 scallions, peeled and chopped fine
- 2 bell peppers, 1 red and 1 yellow, cored, seeded, and rough chopped
- 6 large cloves garlic, peeled and chopped fine
- 2 tomatoes, seeded and rough chopped
- 1 cup uncooked long grain rice
- 1/2 cup vegetable broth
- 1 tsp. ground achiote (an absolute must have spice ingredient, for true Colombian cuisine authenticity)
- 2 cups unsweetened coconut milk
- 1 tsp. ground cumin
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish
Directions:
- Heat the oil and butter together in a medium-sized cooking pot over medium heat.
- Add in the scallions, onion and garlic, and crab meat. Sauté until crab meat is browned and the onions and garlic are fragrant and browning.
- Remove the crab from the pot, set it aside in a bowl for now, then add in the bell peppers and tomatoes. Cook about 5 minutes, or until everything is nicely softened.
- Now add the the rice, salt and pepper and stir the rice through the mixture until thoroughly coated.
- Next, add in the coconut milk, vegetable broth, ground cumin and achiote, and again stir well.
- Bring everything to a vigorous boil for about 5 minutes, then turn the heat down to low. When the dish is cooking at just a lively simmer, cover the pot and simmer for about half an hour, or until the rice is tender.
- Take the pot off the burner, add the crab meat back in, stir and blend everything together well.
- Do a taste test, and adjust salt, pepper, and cumin as necessary.
- Allow your Arroz Atollado de Cangrejo to sit for about 10 minutes, then transfer it to a large attractive serving platter, garnish with a liberal sprinkling of fresh chopped cilantro, and serve.