The Ultimate Crayfish Callaloo

Over the years I’ve shared several types of Callaloo (the soup) recipes with you, including Crab (the classic), Lobster, Shrimp, Salted Pigtail and Smoked Turkey, to name a few. With leftover Crayfish from when I purchased for making the Curry Potato With Crayfish recipe, I thought I’d give you yet another TASTY version of Callaloo.

You’ll Need…

1 1/2 lb crayfish (meat only)
2-3 tablespoon salted butter
1 medium onion (diced)
1 green scotch bonnet pepper (sliced)
2 pimento peppers (aka seasoning pepper)
6 cloves garlic (smashed)
3 sprigs thyme
2 cups water (in total)
1 cup seafood stock
1/2 tablespoon sea salt
1/3 teaspoon black pepper
1 lb baby spinach
15-20 okra (cut 1 cm)
2 1/2 cups coconut milk
1 tablespoon Caribbean Green Seasoning
1-2 cups pumpkin (cubed)

Note! I’m based in Canada so sourcing Dasheen (taro) leaves is almost impossible, so the next best thing = Baby Spinach. If doing this recipe gluten free, be sure to go through the full list of ingredients to make sure they meet with your gluten free dietary needs.

Get your soup pot on a medium heat and heat the butter, then add the crayfish (washed and drained) and stir well. Cook for 2 minutes, then remove them from the pot with a slotted spoon and set aside for later.

In the same pot, add the onion, scotch bonnet and pimento peppers, turn the heat to low and gently soften. Add the thyme, garlic and black pepper.

4 minutes later add the okra (stir well) and the Caribbean Green Seasoning. Go in with the seafood stock, turn the heat to medium and bring to a boil.

Add the pumpkin, coconut milk, salt and bring back to a boil.

It’s time to add the baby spinach (washed) and the water. It may look like a lot, but it will wilt down as it cook.

Here’s where we’ll need to have some patience. Let it gently cook (lower your heat so you have a simmer) for about an hour and fifteen minutes. Add more water if you find it’s getting too thick. I added the extra cup of water mentioned in the ingredient list. (2 cups in total)

Taste for salt and adjust accordingly. Here’s where I used a traditional swizzle stick to break things down so it’s a bit smooth (watch the video below). You may use a whisk or stick blender. If using a stick blender, pulse or risk getting it frothy.

Add the pre-cooked crayfish, bring back to a boil (2-3 minutes), taste and adjust the salt again and BOOM.. you’ve got a wicked Crayfish Callaloo.

This is an excellent side dish to rice, steamed potato, boiled ground provisions or roasted breadfruit. Or, do as I do and enjoy a piping hot bowl as a soup. Now you know how to make an incredible pot of crayfish (say crawfish?) callaloo.

Drop me your comments below, tag me on Instagram and don’t forget you can now get my cookbook – The Vibrant Caribbean Pot, 100 Traditional And Fusion Recipes @ CaribbeanPot.com/CookBook/