Crab coma
I'm a huge fan of live seafood, and recently got two fine specimens: a Dungeness crab ($4.99/lb, meh) and a Maine lobster ($7.99/lb, pretty good). But what to do with them?
This post is not for the faint of heart or those who get squeamish about the process of preparing live seafood to be eaten. Warning: graphic crabicide ahead.
I knew I wanted to make ginger and scallion crab, which is a very traditional Chinese method of preparing crab. I love plain boiled crab as much as the next person (dipped in a bit of butter or black vinegar, mmm), but sometimes I REALLY like preparing it this way. It's so fragrant.
With the lobster, I decided to make it the way I like best -- boiled in a big pot of salty water and served with drawn butter. Coincidentally, this is also the easiest way to prepare it.
The crab was another story. It had to be prepared for stir frying, which meant I couldn't just toss it into some boiling water and forget about it. I had to ... slaughter it. The easiest method I've found to do this is to lay it right-side up, its back to you, while you hold down its legs and remove its head. This may sound horrible, and of course it is, but it's probably also the quickest ordeal the crab has to go through, assuming you apply enough pressure and do it as fast as you can.
First, fortify yourself with some liquid courage. I opted for a salted caramel hot chocolate from Starbucks; you may opt for alcohol of some kind.
I usually put a couple of chopsticks into its claws so that it has something to grab onto that isn't, well, me. It naturally starts to get distressed when you start pulling on it, so you've got to be strong willed and have a stomach of iron to get through it, for both your sakes.
Eventually, you'll be successful, hopefully with the least amount of stress possible. After that, leave it alone for a few moments so that its limbs can get out those final reflexive movements -- or if it doesn't bother you, forge ahead. You have to clean the crab, then section it for stir frying.
I leave in the "crab butter" (or the more anatomically correct term, "gonads") because I just love it, but if you're not a fan you can just wash it away with your faucet.
Next, chop up some ginger, scallions, and garlic. Toss it into a wok with hot oil. Stir fry for a bit, until the scallions are a bright green.
Pour in a mixture of chicken broth, sherry, sugar, and sesame oil. Bring it to a boil.
Add the crab pieces and stir fry a few seconds to coat. Then cover the wok, turn down the heat, and let it simmer for a few minutes, until the crab turns red.
Create a slurry of cornstarch and water, then add to the wok. Bring it back to a boil and cook a few minutes more. Serve hot!
Oh, and save the discarded shells. You can boil them with a big pot of water and make shellfish stock, which can be used immediately or frozen. I ladled a bit of mine into a small pot, added some cream and white wine, and made myself a lazy girl's bisque.
I also finally made this pear and hazelnut frangipane tart. I adapted it slightly -- the whole thing only has 1/3 cup + 1 tbsp of sugar (changed from 1/2 cup + 1 tbsp, which isn't that much to begin with). Not too bad aesthetically for my first time out, but at least it tasted just as it should. Mmm.
This post is not for the faint of heart or those who get squeamish about the process of preparing live seafood to be eaten. Warning: graphic crabicide ahead.
I knew I wanted to make ginger and scallion crab, which is a very traditional Chinese method of preparing crab. I love plain boiled crab as much as the next person (dipped in a bit of butter or black vinegar, mmm), but sometimes I REALLY like preparing it this way. It's so fragrant.
With the lobster, I decided to make it the way I like best -- boiled in a big pot of salty water and served with drawn butter. Coincidentally, this is also the easiest way to prepare it.
The crab was another story. It had to be prepared for stir frying, which meant I couldn't just toss it into some boiling water and forget about it. I had to ... slaughter it. The easiest method I've found to do this is to lay it right-side up, its back to you, while you hold down its legs and remove its head. This may sound horrible, and of course it is, but it's probably also the quickest ordeal the crab has to go through, assuming you apply enough pressure and do it as fast as you can.
First, fortify yourself with some liquid courage. I opted for a salted caramel hot chocolate from Starbucks; you may opt for alcohol of some kind.
I usually put a couple of chopsticks into its claws so that it has something to grab onto that isn't, well, me. It naturally starts to get distressed when you start pulling on it, so you've got to be strong willed and have a stomach of iron to get through it, for both your sakes.
Eventually, you'll be successful, hopefully with the least amount of stress possible. After that, leave it alone for a few moments so that its limbs can get out those final reflexive movements -- or if it doesn't bother you, forge ahead. You have to clean the crab, then section it for stir frying.
I leave in the "crab butter" (or the more anatomically correct term, "gonads") because I just love it, but if you're not a fan you can just wash it away with your faucet.
Next, chop up some ginger, scallions, and garlic. Toss it into a wok with hot oil. Stir fry for a bit, until the scallions are a bright green.
Pour in a mixture of chicken broth, sherry, sugar, and sesame oil. Bring it to a boil.
Add the crab pieces and stir fry a few seconds to coat. Then cover the wok, turn down the heat, and let it simmer for a few minutes, until the crab turns red.
Create a slurry of cornstarch and water, then add to the wok. Bring it back to a boil and cook a few minutes more. Serve hot!
Oh, and save the discarded shells. You can boil them with a big pot of water and make shellfish stock, which can be used immediately or frozen. I ladled a bit of mine into a small pot, added some cream and white wine, and made myself a lazy girl's bisque.
I also finally made this pear and hazelnut frangipane tart. I adapted it slightly -- the whole thing only has 1/3 cup + 1 tbsp of sugar (changed from 1/2 cup + 1 tbsp, which isn't that much to begin with). Not too bad aesthetically for my first time out, but at least it tasted just as it should. Mmm.