Arroz endiablado, Guapi coconut rice with shellfish

Keep the shellfish cold and prepare separate work areas Buy the crab live and bivalves from a licensed, traceable seller. Keep them refrigerated until you are ready to cook. Live crab should show leg movement. Bivalves should have intact shells and close when tapped; discard cracked shells and any that stay open. Sort each type into its own tray. Scrub bivalve shells under cold running water and wash your hands, boards and utensils between raw seafood and other ingredients. Do not use the same plate for cooked seafood unless it has been washed.

Extract the thick and thin coconut milk Grate the coconut flesh and divide it into three roughly equal batches. Knead all the flesh with warm potable water in portions, then squeeze through a clean cloth or fine sieve to collect the thicker first milk; aim for about 1.2 L. Re-knead the pulp from one coconut with some of the remaining water and strain again for about 1 L of thinner second milk. Keep the two extractions separate. If the yield differs, reserve the thickest milk for the sudados and use the thinner milk for the rice; add clean water only as needed to reach the rice’s cooking liquid.

Make the herb refrito Heat about half the oil in a small pan over medium-low heat. Add the refrito portion of green onion and garlic and cook for 3–4 minutes, stirring, until softened but not browned. Add chillangua, basil, poleo and oregano; cook for 1 minute until fragrant. Stir in 300 ml of the thin coconut milk and simmer gently for 5 minutes. Divide the refrito into four portions, one for each seafood. Keep it warm and do not taste it with a spoon that has touched raw seafood.

Cook the jaiba separately Place the live crabs in a large pot with about 250 ml water and a pinch of salt. Cover and steam at a steady boil for 10–15 minutes, depending on size, until the shells are bright red and the meat is firm, pearly and opaque. If a thermometer can be placed safely in the thickest meat, verify 63°C. Transfer with clean tongs to a clean tray. When cool enough to handle, remove the meat; keep one cooked crab whole for serving if desired. Discard the cooking liquid if it contains shell fragments or grit.

Cook the bivalves and piacuil in separate pots Bring a little clean water to a boil in a covered pot. Add sangara, cover and steam until the shells open; remove opened ones with clean tongs and discard any that remain closed. Repeat in a clean pot for piangua. For the piacuil, bring a separate pot of water to a boil, add the rinsed snails and simmer until fully cooked, about 8–10 minutes depending on size. Remove the meat with a clean seafood pick, discard shells and any gritty or damaged pieces. Keep the cooked seafood separated by type and chilled if it will wait more than a few minutes.

Cook each seafood sudado For each species, warm one portion of refrito in a clean small pan with about 175 ml of the thick coconut milk. Add that cooked seafood and simmer gently for 5–8 minutes, stirring carefully, until the sauce reduces and the seafood is hot throughout; check that a thermometer placed in the thickest piece reads 63°C. Do not boil the meat hard. Keep the crab, piacuil, sangara and piangua sudados separate until the rice is ready. Discard any seafood that smells sour, rancid or ammonia-like.

Cook the coconut rice Heat the remaining oil in a wide heavy pot. Add the diced red pepper, the rice portion of green onion and garlic, and cook for 4 minutes, stirring. Add the rinsed rice and stir to coat. Pour in about 500 ml thin coconut milk, 500 ml thick coconut milk and 300 ml water. Bring to a boil, then lower to a steady simmer and cook uncovered for 20–30 minutes, stirring gently and scraping the base. Add more thin coconut milk or water in small amounts if the rice is still firm and the pot is dry. Stop when the grains are tender and the rice is moist and cohesive, with no pool of liquid.

Fold together and serve hot Taste the rice before adding more salt. Fold in the four reduced sudados and their seafood, keeping the meat in large pieces. Heat gently for 2–3 minutes until the whole dish is steaming hot. Spoon onto a warm platter and set the reserved crab on top. Serve right away; do not leave the mixed rice and seafood at room temperature.