Arroz con Cangrejo with California Avocados

HomeRecipesOtherChef RecipesArroz con Cangrejo with California Avocados

Chef Lopez offers this as a special when California Avocados are in season. It’s not exactly a paella but is a Peruvian variation on that idea. The Avocado Chalaca adds fresh, citrusy richness to the crab and rice.

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Serves: 12

Ingredients
Instructions

Crab Stock (Yield: 8 cups) 4 whole Dungeness crabs, cracked and cleaned 1 gal. water 6 stalks celery, each cut into 4 large pieces 2 leeks, white and light green parts, cut into large chunks 2 large tomatoes, each cut in half 8 sprigs flat-leaf parsley or other herbs of your choosing 1 Tbsp. salt 1 tsp. pepper Rocoto Aioli (Yield: 2 cups) 3/4 cup olive oil 3/4 cup garlic, peeled 3/4 cup white onion, chopped 3 cups sweet red peppers, stemmed, seeded, and chopped Salt and pepper, to taste Lime juice, to taste Avocado Chalaca (Yield: 6 cups) 4 Fresh California Avocados, peeled, seeded, chopped 2 cups red onion, chopped Fresh cilantro, chopped, to taste Lime juice, to taste Salt and pepper, to taste Habanero pepper, chopped, optional Assembly Meat reserved from 4 Dungeness crabs 1 cup olive oil, plus extra for garnish 2 cups white onion, chopped 1/4 cup garlic, chopped 2 cups Aji Amarillo paste 4 tsp. annatto powder 1/4 cup Aji Panca paste Salt and pepper, to taste Ground cumin, to taste 4 cups arborio rice 1 qt. white wine 4 cups fava beans, shelled and peeled 8 cups Crab Stock (recipe follows), or substitute 8 cups of store-bought seafood stock 6 cups Avocado Chalaca (recipe follows) 2 cups Rocoto Aioli (recipe follows)

Crab Stock:

Remove all the meat from the crab, reserving the shells. Store the crab meat in the refrigerator until needed. You should have about 6 cups of meat.
In a large stock pot, combine the crab shells with the water, celery, leeks, tomatoes, parsley, salt and pepper.
Bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer and cook uncovered for 2 to 2½ hours, until liquid is reduced by half.
Remove from heat, strain liquid through a mesh sieve into a large container. Reserve the large top shells of the crabs to use as containers for the aioli. Discard remaining solids. Season the stock with salt to taste.

Rocoto Aioli:

Place the oil, garlic, onions, and peppers in a medium pot. Place over very low heat and slowly simmer for about 45 minutes. Do not allow mixture to boil. Vegetables should be very tender when finished. Remove from the heat and let cool.
When the mixture is cooled, pour into a blender and blend until smooth. Pour into a container, season with salt, pepper and lime juice to taste.

Avocado Chalaca:

Place the avocado and onion in a bowl and season with salt, pepper, cilantro, lime juice, and habanero if using. Gently mix all the ingredients together, adding more seasoning as needed.

Assemble:

Remove the crab meat from the refrigerator and set aside.
For each 12-in paella pan, heat ¼ cup olive oil over medium high heat. Add ½ cup chopped onion and 1 Tbsp. chopped garlic and cook until they begin to caramelize.
Add ½ cup Aji Amarillo paste, 1 tsp. annatto powder, and 1 Tbsp. Aji Panca paste. Season with salt, pepper, and cumin. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 7 to 8 minutes, stirring constantly so that the mixture does not burn.
Add 1 cup arborio rice and mix well to evenly coat all the rice. Increase the heat to medium-high, pour in 1 cup wine and let it evaporate. Add 1 cup fava beans and 2 cups Crab Stock. Check the seasoning for salt. Reduce heat to low and cook for 15 minutes.
Add 1½ cups crab meat to the rice and cook for 5 more minutes. Turn off the heat and let rest for 3 to 5 minutes.
To serve, spread 1½ cups Avocado Chalaca over the rice and crab, and drizzle with more olive oil. Pour ½ cup Rocoto Aioli in a reserved crab shell, placing it in the middle of the rice.

Serving Suggestion: Serve directly in the paella pan for a dramatic presentation.

*Large avocados are recommended for this recipe. A large avocado averages about 8 ounces. If using smaller or larger size avocados adjust the quantity accordingly.