Akotonshi (Stuffed crab)

Akotonshi

 Akotonshi is a delicious stuffed crab dish that is associated with feasting in Ghana.

The dish is sprinkled with bread­crumbs and placed under a broiler. When served, akotonshi is usually garnished with chopped parsley.

Ingredients

5 large whole crabs or cooked crabbed meat

2 large fresh ginger

3 tablespoonfuls of cooking oil

2 large onion minced

1 tablespoonful of ginger ground

2 large tomatoes finely chopped

1 tablespoonful of tomato paste

1 large green bell peppers finely chopped

1 tablespoonful of ground nut meg

1 tablespoonful of cloves ground

1 tablespoonful of dried thyme leaves

1/2 cup of dried shrimp

1 cup of plain bread crumbs

2 tablespoonfuls of salt

Preparation

-When cooking crabs, clean them and bring a large pot of water to a boil.

-Add in the ginger, cloves and the crab, cook for 15 minutes. Remove crabs and meat, keep shells for plating.

-If using just crab meat mix crab meat with ¼ cup water that has been boiled with the ginger piece and cloves for 15 minutes. Drain water, flake the meat and set aside.

-In a heavy pot, heat oil to me­dium temperature and add other ingredients in the following se­quence, stirring for a minute or so between each: onions, ground gin­ger, tomatoes, tomato paste, green pepper, cumin, nutmeg, thyme, grains of paradise, paprika, mashed peppers, and dried shrimp.

-Reduce heat and simmer for 4-5 min­utes, stirring constantly, until vegeta­bles are cooked.

-Add crab meat and stir another cou­ple of minutes to heat it through. Then spoon the mixture into clean crab shells or ramekins (small individual baking dishes).

-Sprinkle breadcrumbs on top of each crab and toast under an oven broiler, being careful not to let the crumbs scorch. —Source: Pulse.gh