Carapacho Sea Food on Samborondón Avenue

The mangrove is the typical habitat of the Ecuadorian Coast, it identifies the city of Guayaquil, although today it is unfortunately semi-destroyed, with its polluted estuaries and invaded riverbanks, areas that could have been the most important for the urban development of the city.

Within this habitat there are two products that are undoubtedly iconic in guayaca cuisine, the black shell, and the crab, which concerns us today.

The first, present in very few countries in the world. In Mexico and Central America there are some similar varieties. Ours, in very few quantities in part of Colombia and Peru. There are also many varieties of mangrove crab, in Brazil, Florida and South America. Of these, the red crab is unique, found in addition to Ecuador, also in part of Peru, and is the best of all the mangrove crab species.

The cangrejales have been a typical type of Guayaquil restaurant. Upon entering our mood changes. It’s like entering the field, ready for the mallet, the table, and seeing pieces of carapace jump, while the smell of mangrove, garlic and spices permeates us.

For about two decades, crabs have become more sophisticated. Pata Gorda is a chain that was one of the pioneers in finding new dishes, such as crab chop suey, a terrible name for a good combination, and in adapting the place to better standards.

We visited Carapacho Sea Food, which is located on the second floor of the Buena Vista Plaza shopping center, at km 1 of Samborondón Avenue.

In this ‘childish’ crayfish we tried the crab nails in Creole sauce. Spectacular. Obviously the secret of this simple dish is that the nails are very fresh and that the cooking is such that the meat comes off easily. This restaurant also prepares a sauce that is nothing more than the bottom of the long cooking that the whole crab has had, with all its spices, light touches of cumin, a lot of bay leaf, some garlic, and a dozen other condiments, which at reduced, they generate a flavor of the street, of the town, of guayaca tradition. Delicious.

The pangora cebiche is highly recommended. Unlike the red crab, it is found much more abundantly on the Pacific and Atlantic coasts of the continent, and it has a more delicate flavor, being one of the crustaceans with the highest fat content in its meat.

The Sea Food carapace casseroles have a particularity, one can choose the seafood, between crab, shrimp, fish, shell, squid and octopus. Very rich. Casserole is a wonderful dish, truly a perfect mix of old and new world. Conceptually and technically it is a stew, heritage of our Spanish influence, but fully adapted to local ingredients: banana, peanut, achiote.

This dish, the casserole, is one of the stars of our gastronomy, and should have multiple variations, as offered by this restaurant.