My Dressed Crab is simply Perfect. Island life in the summer is summed up for me in one dish. When I holidayed as a child with my family in the Isles of Scilly this was always the peak season foodie treat. At the end of our time away a trip to a harbourside restaurant and a freshly caught and prepared Brown crab. This doesn’t mean of course you cannot enjoy my recipe wherever you are.
A little bit about Brown Crab
The Brown Crab is the largest crab found in British waters and is prized for its large claws and beautifully sweet white crab meat. This is the premium part of the crab mainly extracted from the claws and legs. It is succulent, flaky and has a delicious, delicate flavour. It can be tricky to remove all of the white meat, and you can use a crab claw cracker and lobster pick or fine crochet hook.
Found all around the British Isles the Brown Crab can live for up to forty years. In the wild the crabs live under rocks and can grow up to nine pounds in weight. Brown crabs are caught in baited pots which allows the fishermen to return undersize and pregnant crabs back to the sea. Crab is particularly sought after in Cromer, Norfolk, and the coast around Devon, Cornwall, Scotland and the Channel Islands.
My Favourite part of the Crab
While you will see white crab meat in lots of recipes from Chinese style soup to spicy crabcakes. My favourite part of the crab is the brown meat. It comes from the body of the crab and has a much more intense flavour than white crab meat. It is much softer in texture and has a much higher fat content. This helps contribute to the distinctive flavour. I like to mix white and brown crab meat roughly two to one for really flavour filled sandwiches. It is also a key ingredient in my Crab Linguine. Brown crab meat makes a delicious addition when whipped with Jersey butter to spread on toast before pilling with white crab for the ultimate crab on toast.
What to drink with Dressed Crab
The first wine that everyone thinks about with fresh seafood or crab is a Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio. The crisp, acidity cutting through the richness of the crab and not overpowering the delicate flavour. However, for dressed crab I think you should try the Chardonnay grape and a white Burgundy which is while still crisp has other pleasing flavours such as cream, toast and vanilla which complement the recipe.
My Dressed Crab
Picking a crab is quite onerous at first but worthwhile. However, you can always ask your fishmonger if it is available picked but it will be more expensive. Once you have picked a couple of crabs you will find it much easier. Male Brown Crabs tend to have bigger claws so as the fishmonger for cock crabs if they have them.
My Dressed Crab
Ingredients
- 2 750 whole Brown Crabs
- 3 hard boiled free-range Eggs
- Juice 1/2 Lemon freshly squeezed
- 2 heaped tablespoons fresh Breadcrumbs
- A small handful Parsley washed and thoroughly dried
- Sea Salt and freshly ground Black Pepper
Equipment
- A large pan with a lid
- A crab claw cracker and a lobster pic
Instructions
- Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Carefully lower the crab into the boiling water, cover and cook for twelve minutes. Remove and plunge the cooked crab in iced water. The rule for cooking crabs is boil for fifteen minutes per kilo, then add three minutes for each additional five hundred grams.
- Remove the crab from the water and allow to thoroughly drain. Twist off the two large claws and break each in two at the joint. Use a pick or skewer to remove the meat from the smaller piece of claw and set aside.
- Using a crab claw crack open the larger part of the claw. If you don’t have a crab claw wrap the piece in a thin tea towel and tap with a small hammer. Carefully remove the claw meat in as large a piece as possible and check to remove any small pieces of shell.
- Break off the smaller crab legs and pick out the meat with the pick or skewer. Insert a dessert spoon into the back of the main body of the crab and lift up the central body piece from the shell. Remove the greenish coloured dead man’s fingers and discard.
- Carefully cut through the centre of the body and pick out the white meat and place in the bowl. This will need to be really carefully checked for any small bits of shell. Place all of the picked crab into the fridge.
- Take the main shell and spoon out the brown meat into bowl. Wash the shell and set it aside for later. Generously season the brown meat, add the breadcrumbs and lemon juice and mix together. Place in the fridge.
- Shell the boiled eggs and separate the white and the yolks. Sieve both the egg whites and yolks and set aside and finely chop the parsley.
- Fill the shell first with flaked white crab then the prepared brown crab. Top with lines of grated egg white and yolk and top with the freshly chopped parsley. Serve with homemade mayonnaise, lemon and brown bread and butter or salad and buttered Jersey Royal potatoes.
Notes
Gluten in the breadcrumbsCan I ask a Favour?
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