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Crab Back (Grenadian Stuffed Crab Shells)
Crab meat cooked with onion, spring onion, garlic, sweet pepper, Scotch bonnet, thyme and nutmeg, packed back into the shells under buttered breadcrumbs and baked golden.
Grenadian · easy · serves 4
prep 20 min · cook 35 min
~331 cal · 19g protein · 32g carbs · 14g fat · 4g fiber · 7g sugars · 6g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
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Crab back is crab meat taken out of its shell, seasoned, and put back into the shell to bake. In Grenada it is a favourite starter, and it is eaten across the southern Caribbean too: in Trinidad and Tobago as crab backs, and in Dominica and the French islands as crabe farci.
It began with land crabs, which live on land for most of the year and head for the sea to breed. Where fishing was hard, they were an easy source of food, caught, boiled, and picked for their meat. The meat is mixed with the island's green seasoning flavours, onion, spring onion, garlic, thyme, sweet pepper and fiery , with lime juice and, in Grenada, the Spice Isle, a grating of nutmeg.
Breadcrumbs bind the filling and a buttery crumb tops it, so it comes out of the oven crisp on top and soft underneath. One shell makes a starter; two make a light lunch. Land crabs are hard to find away from the islands, so cooked crab meat baked in cleaned crab shells or small ramekins works well.
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Make it yours
✓ Naturally nut-, egg- and pork-free. No swaps needed.
Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.
🥕 Vegetarian
🌱 Vegan
🌾 Gluten-Free
🥛 Dairy-Free
🥜 Nut-Free
🥚 Egg-Free
🐖 Pork-Free
Dietary labels are a cooking guide, not allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish; we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, read the label on every product you use, and note that a kitchen can cross-contaminate in ways a recipe cannot control.
Ingredients
US
Metric
Serves 4
- 300 g cooked crab meat, white and brown
- 4 cleaned crab shells or small ramekins
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 40 g butter
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 2 spring onions, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 small red or green sweet pepper, finely diced
- 1/2 chili, seeded and minced, use less for a milder filling
- 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
- 1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
- 1 1/2 cups (about 100 g) fresh breadcrumbs
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- 1 tbsp flat-leaf parsley, chopped
- to taste salt and black pepper
- 1 lime lime wedges, to serve
Instructions
- 1Heat the oven to 200C (400F). Heat the oil and half the butter in a frying pan over medium heat and cook the onion, spring onions, garlic, sweet pepper, Scotch bonnet and thyme for 4 to 5 minutes until softened.
- 2Add the crab meat, two thirds of the breadcrumbs and the nutmeg and cook, stirring gently, for 5 to 8 minutes until the crumbs have softened and soaked up the butter and juices.
- 3Take the pan off the heat, stir in the lime juice and parsley, and season well with salt and pepper.✎ Chef’s noteTaste it now. The filling should be well seasoned and gently hot, as the crumb topping mutes it a little.
- 4Pack the filling into the crab shells or ramekins, cover with the remaining breadcrumbs and dot with the rest of the butter.
- 5Set them on a baking tray and bake for 15 to 20 minutes until the tops are golden and crisp. Serve hot with lime wedges.
Grenadian and southern Caribbean tradition.
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🌏 While it simmers, know your destination
📍
St. George's. Oil down is named for what happens at the end. Breadfruit, salted meat, callaloo and dumplings simmer in coconut milk until the liquid has gone entirely and only the oil that separated out is left in the bottom of the pot, and that is the point at which it is ready.
🗺️
Grenada. Oil down is named for what happens in the pot: the coconut milk cooks away until only the oil is left in the bottom, and everything above it, breadfruit, callaloo, salted meat, dumplings and turmeric, has absorbed the rest. It is cooked outdoors in quantity for a crowd rather than portioned as a meal.
🌍
North America. North America's table began with Indigenous foodways, the "three sisters" of corn, beans, and squash, plus chiles, tomatoes, and cacao, then layered on colonial, African, and immigrant influences. From Mexico's UNESCO-recognized cuisine to the Cajun and Creole pots of Louisiana and the fiery jerk of the Caribbean, the region turns ancient staples into something new. Barbecue, tacos, gumbo, and mole all carry stories of migration and adaptation.
The story behind this dish is up top, worth a read while the pot works.
More from Grenada
Oil DownGrenada's one-pot national dish: breadfruit, salted meat, dumplings, and callaloo cooked down in coconut milk and turmeric.
Cocoa Tea and Fried BakesSpiced local cocoa simmered into a rich, cinnamon-scented "tea," served with hot fried bakes, breakfast on the Spice Isle.
Grenadian Nutmeg Ice CreamA cool, creamy ice cream fragrant with fresh-grated nutmeg, showcasing the spice that defines the Isle of Spice.
Browse all Grenada recipes →
Good to know
You’ll need: Skillet or frying pan, Oven.
Storing it: Keeps 3 to 4 days refrigerated and reheats covered in the oven. Most bakes can be assembled a day ahead and baked when needed.
Make it a Grenada meal
Cocoa TeaDrink
Grenadian Nutmeg Ice CreamDessert
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Cuisine
Diet
Frequently asked questions
What is Crab Back (Grenadian Stuffed Crab Shells)?
Crab meat cooked with onion, spring onion, garlic, sweet pepper, Scotch bonnet, thyme and nutmeg, packed back into the shells under buttered breadcrumbs and baked golden.
Where does Crab Back (Grenadian Stuffed Crab Shells) come from?
Crab Back (Grenadian Stuffed Crab Shells) is a Grenadian dish from St. George's, Grenada.
Can Crab Back (Grenadian Stuffed Crab Shells) be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?
This Crab Back (Grenadian Stuffed Crab Shells) recipe includes substitution suggestions for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, egg-free, and pork-free versions. Treat the substitutions as a starting guide rather than a guarantee, and see the allergen note below.
Is Crab Back (Grenadian Stuffed Crab Shells) safe for people with food allergies?
Our dietary labels and substitutions are a cooking guide, not medical or allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we still count coconut as a tree nut to be cautious, although the FDA stopped listing it as one in 2025), fish, and shellfish, but we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, always read the label on every product you use, and remember a home or commercial kitchen can cross-contaminate ingredients in ways a recipe cannot control.
How long does Crab Back (Grenadian Stuffed Crab Shells) take to make?
About 55 minutes total (20 minutes prep, 35 minutes cooking), serving 4.
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