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Beninese · West African

Ago glain

Non-vegetarian

Crab simmered in a rich tomato, onion and chilli sauce with ginger and a little palm oil. A coastal specialty of southern Benin, served with gari, akassa (fermented corn dough) or rice.

Ago glain is a Beninese stew, ready in about 1 hour 5 minutes and made with crab meat and tomato. It serves 4 and is rated intermediate to cook.

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Savor a gourmet crab dish served in a ceramic bowl with a rich, flavorful sauce.
Photo: Change C.C / Pexels · Pexels License
Prep
25 min
Cook
40 min
Total
1 h 5 min
Serves
4
Level
Intermediate
Calories
344

Ingredients

4 servings

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Heat both oils in a wide pot and fry the sliced onion (opens in a new tab) until soft. Add the garlic (opens in a new tab) and ginger for 1 minute.

    Onions frying golden in a pan
    How it looks · Photo: Magda Ehlers on Pexels

  2. Step 2

    Add the blended onion (opens in a new tab), tomatoes (opens in a new tab), chilli and tomato paste (opens in a new tab) and fry, stirring, until thick and darkened and the oil rises, about 15 minutes.

    • 15 min
    • medium heat

  3. Step 3

    Add the water, salt, crayfish and crab. Cover and simmer until whole crabs turn red and are cooked through (or crab meat (opens in a new tab) is hot), 12–15 minutes, turning the pieces in the sauce.

    • 15 min
    • medium-low heat

    Food safety: Use live or very fresh crabs and cook until the shells are red and the meat is opaque.

    A curry simmering in a pot
    How it looks · Photo: Bachir Mamud on Pexels

  4. Step 4

    Serve hot with eba made from the gari (opens in a new tab), akassa or rice.

      A finished dish being plated
      How it looks · Photo: Willians Huerta on Pexels

    About this dish

    Origin
    Coastal south (Cotonou, Ouidah), Benin · Commonly attributedAlso popular in TogoMore food from Benin
    Dish
    Lunch · Dinner · Stews & braises · Main courses
    Cooking method
    Simmered, Stewed
    Taste
    savoury, spicy (chilli heat), umami, tangy
    Diet
    Pescatarian · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · Low-carb · High-protein
    All labelsPescatarian · Non-vegetarian · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-carb · High-protein · Calorie-conscious
    Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
    Cook more with
    Crab meat · Tomato · Red palm oil · Onion · Tomato paste · Fresh red chilli
    Techniques
    Simmering · Stewing

    Allergens

    • Contains: Crustaceansfrom crab meat, ground dried crayfish

    Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

    Nutrition

    344 kcal per serving

    Calculated

    1 serving ≈ 454 g · recipe makes 4

    Where the energy comes from

    • Protein 34%
    • Carbohydrate 17%
    • Fat 49%
    Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
    NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
    Energy344 kcal76 kcal
    Protein29.7 g6.5 g
    Carbohydrate14.5 g3.2 g
    Net carbohydrate11.2 g2.5 g
    Sugars——
    Added sugars0 g0 g
    Fibre3.3 g0.7 g
    Fat19 g4.2 g
    Saturated fat5.9 g1.3 g
    Trans fat——
    Cholesterol117 mg26 mg
    Sodium1185 mg261 mg
    Salt equivalent3 g0.7 g
    Vitamins & minerals per serving
    Potassium
    1049 mg
    Calcium
    177 mg
    Iron
    2 mg
    Magnesium
    81 mg
    Vitamin A (RAE)
    74 µg
    Vitamin C
    36 mg
    Vitamin D
    —
    Vitamin B12
    13.5 µg
    Folate (DFE)
    101 µg

    How these numbers were made

    • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
    • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
    • Optional ingredients are not included: ground dried crayfish, gari (toasted fermented cassava granules).
    • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
    • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

    Good to know

    Tips

    • Crack the claws lightly before simmering so the sauce gets into the meat.

    Common mistakes

    • Overcooking crab meat — add pre-cooked crab meat just to heat through.

    Food safety

    • Cook live crabs promptly; discard any that are dead before cooking. Eat within a day.

    Storage

    • Refrigerate up to 1 day.

    Reheating

    • Reheat gently until piping hot.

    Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

    Recipe DNA

    How this dish is built

    Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

    What the dish is built around

    Main ingredient

    Used in steps 2, 3, 4

    Reviews & corrections

    Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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