Endemic to the Colombian islands of Providencia and Santa Catalina, the black crab (lat. Gecarcinus ruricola) is easily recognizable by its black shell and red legs with yellow markings. Every year between April and June, thousands of these crabs descend from the forests and hatch their eggs in the water.
The little hatchlings are born in the sea and find their own way home after 20 days, continuing to develop under rocks and logs or underground. The crabs are harvested manually by the local Raizal population – they are first kept alive in containers, then processed by women using handmade tools.
They are boiled, the shells are removed in order to obtain the meat, while the claws are typically sold by piece. The meat is traditionally boiled or stewed and paired with rice, used in empanadas, or in rondón – a local dish that also contains fish and meat. Read more
However, the most popular dish is known as sopa de cangrejo (black crab soup), combining crab meat with ingredients such as sweet potatoes, flour and water dumplings, yams, garlic, coconut milk, pepper, and local aromatic herbs. During the migration period and the breeding season, the capture and consumption of black crabs is banned, and anyone caught disobeying it faces a fine that is equivalent to three months of the minimum wage.
Although many islanders make their living from harvesting the crabs, during the breeding season they turn into modern-day superheroes because most of them are employed as enforcers of the ban, protecting the crabs and making sure that they continue to thrive on the island.
