Saba Callaloo is a traditional Saban recipe for a classic stew of callaloo greens with bacon, chillies, crab and prawns. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Saban version of: Saba Callaloo.
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This recipe for Callaloo from Saba is really interesting in that it combines native tannia greens and tubers with European smoked bacon and local seafood. Just the type of dish an impoverished island might have prepared a couple of hundred years ago.
Ingredients:
400-500g tannia leaves (or substitute taro leaves)
125g smoked bacon or gammon joint
1 medium onion, chopped
1 hot chilli, preferably Scotch bonnet or habanero), finely chopped
2 thyme sprigs
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 litre stock (reserve from cooking the meat)
½ tsp ground allspice
juice of 1 lime
150g crab meat
100g peeled prawns
100g tannia root, peeled and cubed
½ tin coconut milk
1 tsp butter
salt and freshly-ground black pepper
Method:
Bring a pan of water to a boil, add the bacon joint or gammon, return to a simmer, cover and simmer gently for about 90 minutes, until the meat is tender and the excess salt has been removed. Take out and set aside the meat.
Taste the broth in the pan if it's not too salty remove 1l and set aside. If too salty remove 500ml and make up to 500ml with water. Taste once more and if too salty take 500ml and make up to 1l with water. Set this stock aside for later.
Remove any thick hard stalks from the tannia greens and discard. Finely chop the leaves. Cut the cooked bacon or gammon into serving-sized pieces.
Combine the diced meat, greens, onion, chilli, tannia root, thyme and garlic in the reserved stock then bring to a simmer, cover and cook for 30 minutes.
Add the allspice, the lime the crab meat and the prawns, return to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes more, or until all the ingredients are warmed through.
Add the coconut milk and the butter. Heat through, adjust the seasonings to taste and serve.
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