Callaloo Soup and Crab Recipe
Newcastle, Nevis
July 22, 2006
Ingredients for Callaloo Soup:
¼ lb pickled meat
2 – 3 crabs
1 doz eddoes or dasheen leaves
8 ochroes (okra)
Celery, garlic, eschallot
Salt and pepper
to taste
1 tbsp butter
1 pint boiling water
Preparation Of Callaloo Soup
Soak and cut up the pickled meat. Scald the crabs to kill them, then scrub them well.
Strip the stalks and midribs from the dasheen leaves, then wash and roll them.
Wash and cut up the ochroes, eschallot, celery and garlic.
Put all ingredients except the butter in a large saucepan. Pour on the boiling water and let simmer until everything is soft – about 30 to 45 minutes
Remove the crabs, swizzle thoroughly, add butter and reheat.
If desired, remove the meat from the crabs and add to the callaloo soup before serving.
Serve with the callaloo soup with plantain or yam foo-foo.
Health Benefits of Callaloo Soup
Callaloo, known in other parts of the world as collard greens, are a common sight in Jamaican / Caribbean (Nevis) cuisine, either as a side dish or as a main dish with pan-fried plantains. It is a dark green leaf that is related to kale and spring greens. Jamaican callaloo is prepared steamed or sautéed either alone or with other vegetables like tomatoes, onions, and peppers.
There are a range of benefits to eating callaloo on a regular basis. Before diving into the benefits, let’s take a look at some basic nutritional information.
Nutrition Facts of Callaloo:
Without taking into account other ingredients, one cup of callaloo cooked in water has:
49 calories
0g fat
0g cholesterol
9g carbs (3% DV)
3g dietary fiber (21% DV)
4g of protein
308% vitamin A
27% Calcium
58% Vitamin C
12% Iron
1045% Vitamin K
44% Folate
41% Manganese
Callaloo is the familiar name for the large, heart shaped leaves of the root vegetable known as dasheen or taro or malanga. When cooked, it has a consistency similar to spinach, and is just as nutritious. Callaloo Soup is a rich chunky soup made from a base of callaloo leaves, and containing a selection of root vegetables (dasheen, tania, yam, sweet potatoes, green bananas), salted pork, coconut milk, spices and stiff & sticky dumplings.
It is common knowledge that Queen Elizabeth is quite particular when it comes to her diet. But while tea and biscuits, local produce, and fresh fish are staples on her menu, she does enjoy indulging her taste buds every once in a while in something a little more exotic. According to the new HBO documentary Queen of the World, the Queen is a huge fan of a Caribbean stew called callaloo—and it sounds absolutely delicious.