{"id":2272,"date":"2019-01-30T08:00:42","date_gmt":"2019-01-30T13:00:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/tchakayiti.com\/home\/?p=2272"},"modified":"2022-10-13T17:18:40","modified_gmt":"2022-10-13T21:18:40","slug":"zesty-chipotle-crab-salad","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tchakayiti.com\/home\/zesty-chipotle-crab-salad\/","title":{"rendered":"My not-so-Haitian crab salad"},"content":{"rendered":"
A zesty chipotle crab salad on a food blog devoted to Haitian cuisine?!?<\/h5>\n

I can imagine your shock at seeing this dish featured on Tchakayiti. I myself struggled with sharing it with you guys. After all, it is a chipotle, paprika, and cayenne infused crab salad. These are definitely not traditional Haitian flavors. If anything, they\u2019re borrowed from another culture.<\/p>\n

Yet, here I am sharing the recipe with you today.\u00a0 I must have lost my mind is probably what you\u2019re thinking.<\/p>\n

Worry, not. I still have my head on my shoulders. There is a reason why I am featuring this recipe. And you will soon understand it.\u00a0 Just be on the lookout for the Creole Kitchens Cook-off which I will introduce on my Instagram account and on the blog in the coming days.<\/p>\n

In the meantime, I would still like to make a plea for my crab salad.<\/h5>\n

I have definitely treated that crab meat in a non-Haitian way. There\u2019s no arguing against that. However, when it comes to our local cuisine, a dish featuring crab is not that far-fetched. We do have many crab-flavored dishes in our Haitian culinary repertoire.<\/p>\n

As a proof, our touffe legume<\/a> and our jute leaves stew better known as lalo<\/a> are both heavily infused with the flavors of crab. The same goes for our diri ak sirik, our bouillon and our soupe p\u00eacheur.\u00a0 All those dishes get their flavors enhanced thanks to those crustaceans. Let\u2019s not forget the joy that comes with simply enjoying grilled sea crabs with a hot and spicy piment bouc sauce on a beach. I am salivating as I commit those word to writing. I better get back to my crab salad, though.<\/p>\n

\"This<\/p>\n

To tell you the truth the first thing that sets this appetizer apart is the fact that it requires already extracted crab meat. Our local dishes typically rely on whole crabs Whether it\u2019s blue crab, sea crab or earth crab, we tend to serve our crabs whole in the above-mentioned dishes. Extracting their meat is up to dinner guests.<\/p>\n

It is thus quite unusual to try and make a crab salad here. Yet, I believe that dish does have its place in our local cooking. \u00a0For starters, it makes for an amazing appetizer when paired with cassava chips<\/a> or papita<\/a>. That\u2019s exactly how I enjoyed my leftovers for days. \u00a0Plus, it is a great topping for a rich and creamy seafood soup or veloute.\u00a0 It adds both crunch and richness, as you will soon discover when I share my latest soup creation.<\/p>\n

I promise I am not trying to sell you this salad of mine as being Haitian with those arguments. My crab salad is not Haitian. And I unapologetically admit so. It can, however, enhance our local dishes.<\/p>\n

That said, I hope you won\u2019t hold this non-Haitian recipe that snuck its way onto my Haitian blog against me for too long. \u00a0Please give my crab salad a chance to prove itself to you.<\/p>\n

<\/div>
\n
\"This<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Zesty Chipotle Crab Salad<\/h2>\n
<\/div>\n\n
<\/div>\n
This crab salad makes for the perfect appetizer. You can serve it alongside cassava chips<\/a> or plantain chips<\/a>. <\/span>
<\/div>It also complements seafood soups well. <\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n