Ago Glain (Benin)

In the coastal regions of West Africa, seafoods and shellfish abound. Crabs
are the centerpiece of this Fon dish from the former kingdom of Dahomey.
When Fon descendants came to the new world as slaves, they re-created the
dish as the Matoutou Crabes of the french-speaking Caribbean.

6 live 1-pound crabs
1 cup vinegar
salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste
3 large tomatoes
1 bay leaf
1 sprig parsley
3 large onions
2 whole cloves
juice of 3 limes
1 tablespoon dende oil
1 teaspoon Pili Pili

Wash the crabs and place them live in a large stockpot full of boiling water
to which the vinegar, salt, and pepper have been added. Cook the crabs for
10 minutes, skimming off any residue that rises to the top of the water.
Then add the whole tomatoes, the bay leaf, parsley, and one of the onions
with the cloves stuck in it. Remove the tomatoes after 5 minutes and
continue to cook the rest of the ingredients for an additional 5 minutes or
until the crabs are done. Remove the crabs. (You may wish to reserve the
water in which the crabs have been cooked to use for cooking the white rice
that traditionally accompanies this dish.) Remove the crabmeat from the body
and the claws, trying to maintain the shells for serving. Place the crabmeat
in the lime juice. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a saucepan. Mince the two
remaining onions and brown them lightly in the oil. Add the cooked tomatoes
and cook the mixture until it is reduced to a pastelike consistency. When
the mixture is reduced, add the Pili Pili, stir to ensure that the flavors
are mixed, verify flavoring, and serve hot. The crabs are traditionally
served in their own shells or in ceramic shells, on a bed of rice covered
with the sauce. Alternately, the sauce may be served separately in a
sauceboat.