If you’ve had your fill of beef and chicken stews and soups and desire to spice things up and try something different then you will find Chilpachole de Jaiba (or Spicy Crab Soup) is an enticing alternative.
Yup, “Chilpachole de Jaiba”, that is a mouthful all right, but I promise this tongue-twister will rise up to the challenge if:
- You love seafood
- You love spicy food
- You love Mexican dishes
Therefore, Chilpachole de Jaiba is your best choice.
First, what exactly is Chilpachole de Jaiba? I’m glad you asked! It boils down, pun intended, to a Spicy Crab (not necessarily spicy-hot) soup.
“Chilpachole”, according to Linguistics expert Francisco J. Santamaria, comes from the Náhuatl (spoken by the Aztec) words chilli (chile) and patzolli (tangle).
To put it simply, although it roughly translates to “hot mess” it is everything but!
This dish is originally from the Mexican state of Veracruz. French settlers in that State influenced it along the years. Interestingly, neighboring states have their own slightly different versions.
In addition, when crab is not readily available people use shrimp and/or fish as their main ingredient.
Notes
People in Mexico use “Masa” tortilla dough (mixed with water) to thicken the soup, but since it is hard to come by in the USA I have used cornstarch.
Ingredients
- 1 or 2 halved uncooked crabs (ideally blue but any crab will do, so don’t sweat it)
- 1 16 oz shredded crab meat can (or 16 oz fresh/frozen crab meat); pick it over
- 1 large potato, peeled and diced into small cubes
- 1 large carrot, peeled and diced into small cubes
- 2 dried chiles Guajillos, deveined and seeded, stalk removed
- 2 dried chiles Anchos, deveined and seeded, stalk removed
- 2 dried chiles Chipotles, deveined and seeded, stalk removed (optional, if you’d like your chilpachole spicier)
- 4 fresh tomatoes
- 1/4 onion
- 2 large garlic cloves
- 1 fresh epazote sprig (or you can use some dried epazote leaves instead)
- 2 TBSP olive oil
- 4 – 6 cups of water
- 10 – 12 uncooked shrimp (optional)
- 1 heaping TBSP cornstarch
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan bring 4 cups of water to a boil. Once it has boiled turn the heat off and soak the dried chiles for 30 minutes.
- While the chiles soak slightly charr in a cast iron or normal skillet the tomatoes, the 1/4 onion and garlic cloves.
- Place the soaked chiles in the blender with some of their soaking water to get the blender going. Add the charred tomatoes, onions and garlic cloves and the salt and pepper. Process until smooth.
- Strain the mixture into a pot (don’t if you like your soup thicker). Add the olive oil, the halved crabs, the crab meat, the shrimps (if using), the potato and carrot. Cook over medium heat until there is no more froth in the sauce, stirring occasionally.
- Add the 4 – 6 cups of water and the epazote sprig and let soup simmer until the crab is fully cooked and the potato and carrot have softened (20 – 25 minutes). Mix cornstarch with a little cold water until it’s very smooth. Gradually stir the corn starch and water mixture into the soup until well blended. Stir frequently. Bring Chilpachole to a boil again and let it thicken (3 – 4 minutes).
- Enjoy with soft tortillas; you can add fresh lemon juice to your bowl, if you’d like.
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