Crab and callaloo is a very popular dish in Trinidad and in the Caribbean as well. Most times if someone mentions callaloo, for me, I think about crab in it but some people prefer without the crab.

This Trini dish is made using dasheen bush or taro leaves. For those of you who may not be able to get your hands on this, you can substitute it for spinach…it may not taste exactly as if you used the dasheen bush but it will be similar.

Here in Trinidad, you can save yourself the hassle of having the cut up the dasheen bush as there are packs of chopped bundles readily available in many supermarkets. I usually like cutting them up myself but from time to time I don’t mind the already preps ones. In callaloo, both leaves and stems are used.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 bundle dasheen bush (roughly 18 stems/leaves) – approx 420g
• 275g crab, scrubbed and cleaned
• 1 cup ochro
• 1/2 cup pumpkin, cut into cubes
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 2-3 cups water
• 2 tbsp golden ray
• 1 small onion, sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 pimentos, chopped
• Hot pepper
• Green seasoning (as much as you like)
• 1-2 tbsp avocado oil
• Salt/black pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1. Sautee onions, garlic, pimentos and hot pepper in avocado oil.
2. Add ochro and pumpkin. Cook for 2 minutes on medium heat.
3. Add crab followed by chopped dasheen bush.
4. Cover pot for a few minutes and allow dasheen bush leaves to melt down a bit.
5. Add all other ingredients to the pot and allow to cook until all contents are tender (this can take roughly 30 minutes depending on the type of dasheen bush used)
6. Once all ingredients are soft, you can use a hand blender or swizzle stick to further break down the pieces. Blend/swizzle until the callaloo is the consistency you prefer.
7. Enjoy with rice or macaroni pie, stew chicken and coleslaw!

NOTE:

• I personally prefer chunky callaloo so I don’t usually blend too much
• You may need to add more water sometimes if necessary to ensure all ingredients are cooked properly
• If you prefer callaloo more liquid like rather than thick, add more water accordingly.

Check out the video tutorial on this dish here: