Dungeness crab recipes
July 8, 2012 11:05 AM Subscribe
What are your favorite recipes for Dungeness Crab?
Ahhh, the Pacific Northwest. We have lots of crab. So far I've been making crab enchiladas and crab cakes, but I am looking for more of your favorite recipes. Thanks!
Ahhh, the Pacific Northwest. We have lots of crab. So far I've been making crab enchiladas and crab cakes, but I am looking for more of your favorite recipes. Thanks!
Cracked cold Dungeness is very good but here are some spicier recipes from South East Asia.
posted by infini at 11:23 AM on July 8, 2012
posted by infini at 11:23 AM on July 8, 2012
Maybe it's just the East Coast heatwave talking, but I would kill for half an avocado piled high with crabmeat and, I dunno, butter and lemon squeezed on top maybe? Or some creamy sauce? A teensy bit of sriracha?
posted by Sara C. at 11:24 AM on July 8, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by Sara C. at 11:24 AM on July 8, 2012 [1 favorite]
I just had an awesome one last night. Hopefully I've remembered everything. Serves 4.
INGREDIENT LIST
2 live crabs
4 big leaves of cabbage (green or nappa)
3 chunks of Vietnamese rice noodles (skinny)
2 T Vegetable oil
1/2 C Fish sauce
Water
4 limes
cilantro
scallions/green onions
Zest of preserved lemon, or regular lemon
(Directions for preserved lemons, though it's slightly more complicated that we dot it: preserved lemon. (we skip the oil).
1) Boil each of the two crabs (in separate batches) for about 13 minutes. If they're big, boil for 15 minutes and then pull out. Get the meat out. Set aside.
2) Cut into strips the outside (big floppy) leaves of a head of cabbage. Maybe 4 leaves or so.
Put them in a pan with a couple tablespoons of vegetable oil. When they start to get a little hot and translucent, add a half cup of water and put the lid on. As soon as they're a little limp, and a nice bright color, take them out and divide them among your 4 bowls.
3) Wipe out the pan and fill it 2/3 full of water. When it's at a boil, add 4 people's worth of vietnamese noodles. (The skinniest are fine. We used the 2nd-to-skinniest and it was better) (But we're still talking angel hair size here- not linguini or anything)
4) Once noodles are cooked, rinse them 3 times and then distribute them among the bowls on top of the cabbage.
5) Mix a third of a cup of fish sauce with a half a cup of water and pour it over the noodle/cabbage combo in the bowls.
5) Put crab on top of cabbage/noodle mixture.
6) Cut the bottoms off of about 6 scallions (the thickest part). Cut into 1 inch long pieces, and then cut those lengthwise into quarters. Fry these strips in a little bit of oil in that same pan, til they're soft and a tad of crisp at the edges is nice, too. Put on top of the pile in your bowls.
7) Pour about 2 tablespoons' worth of fresh-squeezed lime juice over each bowl.
8) Add diced zest from about half of a preserved lemon, or a lesser amount of regular lemon zest, if you have it.
9) Toss the salad in each bowl.
10) Garnish liberally with cilantro.
Eat.
posted by small_ruminant at 11:31 AM on July 8, 2012 [1 favorite]
INGREDIENT LIST
2 live crabs
4 big leaves of cabbage (green or nappa)
3 chunks of Vietnamese rice noodles (skinny)
2 T Vegetable oil
1/2 C Fish sauce
Water
4 limes
cilantro
scallions/green onions
Zest of preserved lemon, or regular lemon
(Directions for preserved lemons, though it's slightly more complicated that we dot it: preserved lemon. (we skip the oil).
1) Boil each of the two crabs (in separate batches) for about 13 minutes. If they're big, boil for 15 minutes and then pull out. Get the meat out. Set aside.
2) Cut into strips the outside (big floppy) leaves of a head of cabbage. Maybe 4 leaves or so.
Put them in a pan with a couple tablespoons of vegetable oil. When they start to get a little hot and translucent, add a half cup of water and put the lid on. As soon as they're a little limp, and a nice bright color, take them out and divide them among your 4 bowls.
3) Wipe out the pan and fill it 2/3 full of water. When it's at a boil, add 4 people's worth of vietnamese noodles. (The skinniest are fine. We used the 2nd-to-skinniest and it was better) (But we're still talking angel hair size here- not linguini or anything)
4) Once noodles are cooked, rinse them 3 times and then distribute them among the bowls on top of the cabbage.
5) Mix a third of a cup of fish sauce with a half a cup of water and pour it over the noodle/cabbage combo in the bowls.
5) Put crab on top of cabbage/noodle mixture.
6) Cut the bottoms off of about 6 scallions (the thickest part). Cut into 1 inch long pieces, and then cut those lengthwise into quarters. Fry these strips in a little bit of oil in that same pan, til they're soft and a tad of crisp at the edges is nice, too. Put on top of the pile in your bowls.
7) Pour about 2 tablespoons' worth of fresh-squeezed lime juice over each bowl.
8) Add diced zest from about half of a preserved lemon, or a lesser amount of regular lemon zest, if you have it.
9) Toss the salad in each bowl.
10) Garnish liberally with cilantro.
Eat.
posted by small_ruminant at 11:31 AM on July 8, 2012 [1 favorite]
Hard to go wrong with traditional crab louie, too.
Butter lettuce, or red leaf lettuce.
Avocado
Asparagus (cooked or canned)
Hard boiled egg, sliced or cut in half
Tomato
Lemon wedges.
Some other salad things like cucumber if you want (I skip them)
Big ol' pile of crab on top.
Crab or shrimp louie dressing, which is sort of like thousand island but with some hot sauce and worchester sauce. We skipped the catsup entirely when I was a kid, but I actually like it (heresy!) Here's a more traditional recipe, though.
posted by small_ruminant at 11:36 AM on July 8, 2012 [1 favorite]
Butter lettuce, or red leaf lettuce.
Avocado
Asparagus (cooked or canned)
Hard boiled egg, sliced or cut in half
Tomato
Lemon wedges.
Some other salad things like cucumber if you want (I skip them)
Big ol' pile of crab on top.
Crab or shrimp louie dressing, which is sort of like thousand island but with some hot sauce and worchester sauce. We skipped the catsup entirely when I was a kid, but I actually like it (heresy!) Here's a more traditional recipe, though.
posted by small_ruminant at 11:36 AM on July 8, 2012 [1 favorite]
Generally,though, my crab doesn't last long enough to make it into a recipe. Set up a table with a big bowl for shells,and just eat a whole crab per person with lemon (and a little butter if the crab's not all that). Watch a movie while you're eating. Having a dry wine (Prosecco). Perfect evening.
Protip: put your DVD remote in a plastic bag.
posted by small_ruminant at 11:38 AM on July 8, 2012
Protip: put your DVD remote in a plastic bag.
posted by small_ruminant at 11:38 AM on July 8, 2012
We lived in Port Angeles, WA for years and had an embarrassment of dungeness in season (residents got a free crab trap license). I freely admit that we made dungeness grilled cheese sandwiches (with havarti and sourdough) more often than not. You can put avocados in them or mangoes or sliced apples or cherry preserves. You can also make them on the beach in those over-the-fire grilled sandwich cages and then you are eating surfer food, for real.
posted by rumposinc at 11:44 AM on July 8, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by rumposinc at 11:44 AM on July 8, 2012 [1 favorite]
I love it just boiled and then dipped in butter. BUT, if you have leftovers, it's awesome to make your own California roll at home - it's a little involved making your own sushi, but totally worth it to have it with fresh, real crab rather than imitation crab.
posted by rainbowbrite at 11:57 AM on July 8, 2012
posted by rainbowbrite at 11:57 AM on July 8, 2012
rumposinc those sound great!
posted by small_ruminant at 11:59 AM on July 8, 2012
posted by small_ruminant at 11:59 AM on July 8, 2012
small_ruminant, I'd take your crab louie and drizzle this caesar salad dressing (just brought back two bottles of the stuff) with some shaved cheese on it.
posted by infini at 12:30 PM on July 8, 2012
posted by infini at 12:30 PM on July 8, 2012
Cioppino!
The dungeonous crab's natural habitat. Right next to a hunk of sourdough bread and a green salad.
Yum!
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 3:00 PM on July 8, 2012
The dungeonous crab's natural habitat. Right next to a hunk of sourdough bread and a green salad.
Yum!
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 3:00 PM on July 8, 2012
Crab Dip:
big handfuls of cooked cracked Dungeness crab
a twack (half a cup? less?) of sour cream
add a tbsp or so of mayo if you're some kind of sicko
several squeezes of lemon
salt.
Mix vigorously. Eat on top of crackers, in sandwiches, with veggies, by the handful...
posted by jrochest at 4:11 PM on July 8, 2012
big handfuls of cooked cracked Dungeness crab
a twack (half a cup? less?) of sour cream
add a tbsp or so of mayo if you're some kind of sicko
several squeezes of lemon
salt.
Mix vigorously. Eat on top of crackers, in sandwiches, with veggies, by the handful...
posted by jrochest at 4:11 PM on July 8, 2012
This thread is closed to new comments.
My husband's Swedish mother, who settled up near Olympia, ate crab on English muffins, topped with cheese and broiled.
posted by nanook at 11:12 AM on July 8, 2012 [1 favorite]