Masa de cangrejo guisado or crabmeat is a simple and easy-to-follow recipe, a favorite from coastal towns. Make one of my family's best traditions with this easy recipe with video.
By - Reviewed: . Original: Dec 28, 2005
❝ Nice recipe, muy facil de hacer, and I am a beginner... ❞
Why we ❤️ it
Maybe someday I'll tell you the story of my crab-catching adventure with a bunch of friends when we were kids, that ended with us being yelled at by my very angry mom, and a hen having a nervous breakdown over a runaway crab. Or maybe not.
My parents loved crabmeat (especially my dad), and since I was born in a coastal town, it was something we ate all the time.
Cangrejo guisado is a great little secret of Dominican and Montecristi cuisine.
What's crabmeat?
Crabmeat - masa de cangrejo in the Dominican Republic - is the meat from crab after eliminating the hard parts.
Traditionally, cangrejo guisado is the most popular of crab meat recipes in the Dominican Republic, and as a filling in fancy empanadas (great appetizer!). In some specialized restaurants it can be found served as crab cakes, crab salad and crab bisque, and crab soups.
Dominican crab have a different taste profile and texture than snow crab or king crab, which are the common types available in the US. Dominican crab is slightly less sweet and much smaller than both king crab and snow crab.
I typically buy crabmeat from the supermarket nowawadays, but in towns like Montecristi, you'd buy it from one of the local pescaderías (fish mongers).
Crabmeat (masa de cangrejo guisado).
Serving suggestions
My favorite way to serve this crabmeat recipe is the way pictured here, with Tostones (fried plantains), maybe a bowl of Arroz blanco (white rice), and some avocado slices. And to improve even more its flavor, I always provide some lime wedges to drizzle some on the cangrejo guisado, but if you can't find limes, some lemon juice would do.
And I know it may sound a bit weird to some, but try it with Arroz con maíz (rice with corn) instead of white rice, because I think it's a winning combination.
Top tips
- Picking crab: For this recipe - assuming you cannot find Dominican crab - you can use whatever you can most easily find. In order of preference, I would pick these: Blue crab, Snow crab, Dungenness, King crab
Canned jumbo lump crab meat is good as the last choice if nothing else is feasible. Imitation crab meat is definitely out, though. - Cleaning crabmeat: I suggest, and I speak from experience, that you make sure there aren't any pieces of shell or cartilage, because you'll hate biting into one.
- Cooking temperature: The seasonings and crabmeat are cooked over low heat and should not be overcooked. This is not a dish to be left alone on the stove.
About this recipe
This is my mom's way of making cangrejo guisado, and one of the world's best crab recipes, if you ask me. The result is a cangrejo guisado that is not soupy at all, but still juicy enough to serve over rice, or alongside freshly-fried crispy tostones.
Where I have departed from my mom's recipe is by adding hot sauce to it. Typically you would be offered a bottle to add at the table, so maybe you want to do that if you're not sure how your guests like spicy food.
Do you make cangrejo guisado in a different way? Please share your tips in the comments!
Video
Recipe
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Masa de Cangrejo Guisada [Video+Recipe] Stewed Crabmeat
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 red bell pepper, cut into small pieces
- 1 red onion, minced
- 4 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 cup tomato sauce
- 1 dozen pitted green olives
- 1 pound masa de cangrejo, crabmeat [450 grams]
- ½ teaspoon black pepper, freshly-cracked, or ground, (or more, to taste)
- 1½ teaspoon salt, (or more, to taste)
- Hot sauce, to taste (optional)
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro, or fresh parsley, whichever you prefer
- Wedges of 2 limes
Instructions
1. Cook
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over low heat. Cook the bell pepper, onion, and garlic stirring frequently until the onion turns translucent.Add tomato sauce, olives, and crabmeat. Cook over low heat until everything is heated through and steaming.
2. Seasoning
- Season the mixture with salt, pepper, and hot sauce to taste. Sprinkle with cilantro.
3. Serve
- Remove from heat, and serve alongside the lime wedges.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is calculated automatically based on ingredients listed. Please consult your doctor if you need precise nutrition information.
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More shellfish recipes
We have many seafood recipes on our blog, and if you want to try some more shelfish recipes don't miss our Camarones guisados, Camarones al ajillo, Pinchos de camarones, or Lambí guisado.
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