Nothing fishy about this rich, delicious crab
Fresh domestic blue crab meat has the clean, bright taste of the sea, no fishy odor and a succulence that exceeds any that is imported. One taste is enough to tell you it is as good as any crab you will ever eat.
Most, if not all, of the commercial crab sold nowadays is steamed as soon as possible after being caught, picked out of the shells by skilled workers, and quickly vacuum-packed. Usually sold in a clear plastic tub, it will last a month or longer before opening. After opening the container, cover with milk and freeze within a few days if not using immediately.
There are four types of crab meat: jumbo lump, the coveted big nuggets extracted from the swimming leg body (backfin) chambers; backfin, large white pieces of meat from the backfin cavity, but smaller than jumbo lump; special, white or regular, smaller white pieces removed from the walking leg body chambers and usually excludes backfin; and claw, which is darker, sweet and less dense.
We're fortunate to have live crabs at our disposal in the Lowcountry. You might be able to save $12 to $15 a pound just by cooking and picking the crabs yourself. Two people together, sitting and talking about the day, at a table covered with newspaper for easy cleanup, can go through a dozen large crabs in less than an hour. That will result in up to a pound of mixed meat from the meatier male crabs.
When reserving claw and backfin meat for another purpose, three dozen large male crabs will make about one pound of lump crab meat.
A pound of crab meat is a generous amount for four people, as crab is rarely eaten by itself because it is so rich. Usually it is mixed with other ingredients, such as in a salad, pie, casserole or soup.
Crab meat, since already cooked, is just heated, rather than recooked, by being added to finished soups, such as in she-crab soup or in a delicate sauce for cheese custards. In casseroles or pies, the crab is best combined with other ingredients just before the final heating or baking.
The only exception to this rule is crab cakes, but even they are not intended to cook the crab, but to sear the other ingredients. Crab cakes should be loosely combined pieces of crab, preferably lump, that barely hang together when briefly sauteed.
There is a schism between crumb and noncrumb crab-cake eaters, with some people inured to a lot of crumbs to hold the meat in place and others wanting just the barest minimum to brown. Today's recipe is for noncrumb crab-cake eaters. Held together when cooked by a ring (or old tuna fish can), it may fall apart on the plate, but every taste of crab will linger on the tongue.
Picked cooked crab is happily added to uncooked ingredients, such as fresh mango and/or avocado salad, where the coolness of the avocado and the mango are subtle enhancements to the seafood.
What to buy
When feeling flush, purchase fresh lump crab meat, those prime, meaty chunks. Otherwise, purchase claw meat, backfin or a mixed version, which frequently contains some she-crab roe that makes it nice for she-crab soup. Always purchase crab from a good fish store or the supermarket, knowing the reputation of the person who sells it, and be sure to read the label.
An American-sounding name is no guarantee of domestic crab. Crab should be marked according to its origin, even if the information is in fine print. Read the ingredients on the back and avoid purchasing any chemically laced product, which ruins the taste. There is no sense in purchasing anything that doesn't taste good, even if slightly less expensive.
Nikki's Crab Cakes
Serves 2 (makes four small cakes)
This recipe by my summer apprentice, Nikki Moore, is a testament to the fact that delicious food, such as crab meat, is best left alone. Lacking the heavier breading of most crab cakes, these crab cakes are fragile, and it may be necessary to cook them in a ring to preserve their shape. Don't fret if they break while cooking or moving; just push the meat back together. They will taste just as good.
Ingredients
1 egg, beaten to mix
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
1/4 cup pieces of torn bread, crust removed
8 ounces lump crab meat
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Ground red pepper (cayenne), to taste
2 tablespoons butter
Lemon wedges, for garnish
Directions
Mix egg and mayonnaise together with a fork in a medium-size bowl. Stir in the bread. Gently mix in crab meat. Season to taste with salt, pepper and ground red pepper. Form four small cakes with hands and set aside.
Heat the butter in a medium-size saute or frying pan. Add crab cakes gently to the pan, using hands or place the cakes individually on a thin metal spatula or pancake turner before sliding into the pan. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until lightly browned.
Flip over the cakes gently using a thin metal spatula and cook on the other side until lightly browned. Serve immediately with lemon wedges.
Tip: Remove tops and bottoms from tuna fish cans, wash and use as rings for cooking the crab cakes. Some biscuit cutters can be used. Rings also are sold at gourmet cookware stores.
Mango, Crab and Avocado Salad
Serves 4 as a luncheon or starter course
This salad is flexible in its ingredients. If a spicier salad is preferred, add more red pepper. There are some excellent jarred mangos that can be substituted in emergencies. If jumbo crab meat is not available, use other fresh crab meat, or part crab and part cooked shrimp. Obviously, it is preferable to cut the avocado at the last minute, but life doesn't always accommodate last-minute preparations. But try to avoid cutting it more than an hour or two in advance.
If desiring to serve in the hollowed-out avocado halves, cut the avocado in half, remove seed, and scoop out the avocado carefully before cutting up. Set the halves aside, with the inside covered closely with plastic wrap to prevent browning.
Ingredients
1 cup crab meat, preferably jumbo lump
1 mango, peeled and seeded
2 ripe avocados
1/2 cup vinaigrette (recipe follows)
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper (cayenne) or to taste
Salt
Freshly grated pepper (preferably white)
Fresh thyme, basil or parsley
8 cheese straws (optional)
Directions
Pick through the crab meat for any shells. Cut the mango into bite-size pieces. Cut the avocado into bite-size pieces. (Remove carefully from the shell if serving in the shells.) Discard seed. Toss mango and avocado in sufficient vinaigrette to coat if cutting ahead of time. Season to taste with red pepper, salt, pepper and chopped thyme, basil or parsley, reserving any pretty stems for garnish, or garnish with 2 cheese straws each.
For the vinaigrette: Whisk together 4 tablespoons lemon juice or sherry vinegar, 12 tablespoons (3 ounces) extra virgin olive oil and 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Cheese Custards With Crab Sauce
Makes 6 rich starters or luncheon dishes
These rich custards are delicious without overwhelming the taste of the crab. A little goes a long way. The perfect accompaniment for this is a green salad.
Ingredients
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream or milk
3 large eggs
1 1/4 cups grated Comte or Gruyere cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
Crab Sauce (recipe follows)
Directions
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Lightly mix cream or milk and eggs in a medium-size bowl. Stir in the grated cheese and season to taste. Spread a kitchen towel over the bottom of a deep baking pan to prevent overbaking. Arrange six custard cups or souffle dishes on top of the towel. Ladle or pour custard mixture evenly among the six dishes. Place discs of buttered wax paper on the top of each mixture to prevent skins from forming. Fill the baking pan with water to halfway up the sides of the molds and move to the oven carefully. Bake until the centers of the custards are set and a knife comes out clean, approximately 30-40 minutes, depending on the size, avoiding boiling the custards. Remove from the water and set aside. When ready to serve, remove the wax paper disc and serve in the dish, or run a knife around the sides of the dish, put a plate upside down on top of the custard cup, invert and carefully remove the cup. (Either way, the custards can be rewarmed, in a 250-degree oven, if necessary.)
Spoon crab sauce over before serving.
Crab Sauce
Ingredients
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/3 pound lump crab meat, shells and membrane removed
1 to 2 tablespoons butter
Directions
Bring the cream to a boil in a heavy saucepan, and boil until reduced to 1/3 cup. When ready to eat, reheat cream, remove from heat, and gently stir in crab meat and butter.
Variation: Add chopped thyme or other herbs.
Nathalie Dupree, who lives in Charleston, is the former director of Rich's Cooking School in Atlanta and the author of eight cookbooks, including "Nathalie Dupree's Comfortable Entertaining." She may be reached at www.nathalie.com.
