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Fish, Africa and overseas

Crab matoutou with rice

Crab matoutou with rice is a creole dish for 4 people, ready in 1 hour, medium difficulty, around €5.20 per serving. Crab simmers with onions, garlic, tomatoes, and chile, then the rice cooks directly in that sauce. The trick is letting the rice soak up all the crab juices without stirring it while it cooks.

Tonight, we're bringing Guadeloupe to the table with crab matoutou, rice and crab simmered together in a richly spiced creole sauce.

Crab matoutou with rice
Total time
1 h
Difficulty
Medium
Cost per person
€5.20
Calories per person
460 kcalcalculated by Kiloach, your weight coach
Season
Summer, Fall
The kids
They generally like it

Matoutou starts with a smell that fills the whole kitchen, thyme, garlic, and chile softening into the tomatoes. The crab brings a briny, slightly sweet flavor, and the rice cooks right in that sauce until it turns almost orange from soaking it up. Every bite carries the flavor of the whole dish, and you crack the crab shells right at the table, hands in your plate.

This is a dish for when you have a little time on your hands, a Sunday or a slow summer evening when nobody's in a rush. Kids usually love the hands on part of cracking crab shells, as long as you go easy on the chile for them. Mon Chou gives you this simple, no fuss version to bring a taste of Guadeloupe home.

The ingredients

4 people

Fish counter

  • Cooked crab claws and legs 1 kg

Fruits and vegetables

  • Onion 2
  • Garlic 4 cloves
  • Scallions 4
  • Thyme 4 sprigs
  • Chile pepper 1

Pantry

  • Crushed tomatoesoften in the pantry 400 g
  • Riceoften in the pantry 300 g
  • Oiloften in the pantry 3 tbsp
  • Saltoften in the pantry 1 pinch
  • Pepperoften in the pantry 1 pinch

Allergens Shellfish

The step by step recipe

  1. Cook the onions, scallions, and garlic in the oil until soft and tender. 8 min

    Chop the aromatics finely, they should almost disappear into the sauce.

  2. Add the tomatoes, thyme, and whole chile pepper, season with salt and pepper, and let it simmer down. 10 min

    Poke the chile with a fork so it flavors the sauce without burning too much.

  3. Lightly crack the crab claws with the back of a knife and drop them into the sauce. 5 min

    This releases more flavor and makes the crab easier to crack at the table.

  4. Pour in the rinsed rice, cover with water up to a finger's width above the rice, stir once, and cook covered. 18 min

    Don't stir again after this, the rice needs to cook gently over low heat.

  5. Let it rest off the heat for five minutes, remove the chile, and serve in a large dish with the crab. 5 min

    This resting time lets the rice puff up and finish absorbing the sauce.

Our tips to get it right

  • Pick crab claws and legs that are already cooked, it's faster and skips an extra cooking step.
  • If you can't find scallions with their green tops, young green onions work just as well in flavor.
  • Taste the heat level before serving, you can always pull the chile out earlier if the sauce gets too spicy.

The variations

  • Swap the crab for peeled shrimp for a quicker version with no shell cracking at the table.
  • For a vegetarian take, use red beans and root vegetables instead of crab, the rice still soaks up all the sauce.
  • For kids, remove the whole chile early in the cooking and serve a small side of hot sauce for the adults.

What to serve it with

  • A squeeze of lime
  • A fresh cucumber salad
  • A tropical fruit juice

Storage

Matoutou keeps for 2 days in the fridge in a sealed container. Freezing isn't ideal since the rice loses its texture once thawed. Reheat gently on the stovetop with a splash of water to soften the rice again.

Questions about this dish

Can you use frozen crab for this matoutou?

Yes, thaw the crab claws and legs in the fridge the night before. Drain them well before cracking so you don't water down the sauce.

How do you control the spice level without overdoing it?

Keep the chile whole and poke it just once, that releases flavor without too much heat. Pull it out as soon as the sauce tastes spicy enough for you.

Can you make the sauce ahead and cook the rice later?

Yes, make the sauce with the crab through step 3 and refrigerate it for a few hours. Reheat it before adding the rice and water for the final cooking.

Why shouldn't you stir the rice while it cooks?

Stirring breaks the grains and releases too much starch, making the rice sticky. Let it cook undisturbed, covered, so it stays separate while soaking up the sauce.

How long does it take to make a crab matoutou?

Count 1 h in total, prep and cooking included. The recipe is rated “medium”.

How many calories are in a crab matoutou?

About 460 kcal per serving, for a recipe meant for 4 people. Calories are calculated by Kiloach, your weight coach, the app that partners with Mon Chou.

How much does a crab matoutou cost?

About €5.20 per serving, or €20.80 for 4 people, based on average supermarket prices.

What allergens does this recipe contain?

This recipe contains shellfish. Always check the labels of the products you buy.

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