Masa de Cangrejo Guisada or crabmeat is a simple and easy-to-follow recipe, a fancy favorite from coastal towns, and one of my family's traditions. Learn how to make this simple, flavorful crabmeat dish, and what are the best ways to serve it and impress your family.
By - Reviewed: . Original: Dec 28, 2005
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.
It should suffice to say that I grew up eating seafood very often, and specially this crabmeat dish. My parents loved the stuff, I was born in a coastal town, and - as children are wont - did not appreciate this dish then as much as I do now. Cangrejo guisado is a great little secret of Dominican and Montecristi cuisine.
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.
Crabmeat (masa de cangrejo guisado).
Top tips
Dominican crabs 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. 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.
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.
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!
Recipe
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Masa de Cangrejo Guisada (Easy Crabmeat Recipe)
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
- 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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Crabmeat nutrition
Crabmeat is protein, and is packed with many of the nutrients seafood is recommended for.
Vitamin B12: 479% DV, Folate: 13% DV, Vitamin B6: 11% DV, Vitamin C: 8% DV, Niacin (B3): 8% DV, Vitamin B5: 8% DV, Riboflavin (B2): 5% DV, Thiamin (B1): 4% DV
Source
What's crabmeat (masa de cangrejo)?
Crabmeat 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.
FAQs
The seasonings are sauteed over low heat, then tomato sauce and crabmeat is added and cooked until they are heated through, then seasoned some more.
Crabmeat or crab meat is the meat of crabs after discarding all the shell and hard parts. In a gastronomical sense, it is considered seafood.
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