Variation: If you want to skip the mousse & grapefruit, these same crab cakes make a very tasty breakfast served with a poached egg…especially with a glass of white sparkling wine.

Drink Pairings: Sauvignon Blanc or crisp Chablis

Ingredients:                                     Makes Six Servings
1lb Dungeness Crab Meat
1 Leek
1 Bay Leaf
Zest of 1 Lemon, very finely grated
2 cups Heavy Whipping Cream
1 tsp Fresh Chives, sliced
3 Eggs, beaten
All Purpose Flour
Panko Bread Crumbs
Salt & Pepper
Ruby Red Grapefruit, cut into supremes (how to cut citrus supremes)
Oil for pan-frying

Avocado-Banana Mousse:
3 Avocados, halved, skin & pits removed
3 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 tsp Lemon Juice
1 Banana

Optional Garnishes:
Additional cooked crab leg meat
Fresh Chive Oil

Directions:
1. Trim the root end and greens away from the leek.  Slice the remainder down the center, fanning out the layers.  Rinse out the leek to remove any sand embedded between the layers.  Cut into a small pieces (small dice).

2. Put the chopped leek into a small pot with one bay leaf, the lemon zest, and the heavy cream.  Bring to a simmer and cook until the cream has reduced in volume by half.

3. Pour the leek mixture into a bowl, let it cool, then move it to the refrigerator to chill.

4. Make the Avocado-Banana Mousse – Blend the avocados together with the olive oil.  Blend until smooth, stopping occasionally to scrape down the sides and stir.  Blend in the lemon juice & banana.  Move to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap & refrigerate until needed.

5. Mix together the crab, 1 cup of the leek mixture & the fresh chives.  Portion them out into balls, each roughly 1/4 cup.

6. Set up a 3-stage breading station with seasoned flour (with 1 pinch salt and a few grinds black pepper), beaten egg, and panko bread crumbs.

7. Coat each crab cake with the flour, then the egg, then the panko.

8. Press the balls into uniform cakes by putting them in a ring mold one at a time and pressing down so they flatten & expand to fill the space.

9. Move the crab cakes to your refrigerator to set (they can stay there overnight if desired) or freeze.

10. Heat oil in a large frying pan until a drop of water dropped into it dances.  Brown the crab cakes on each side (if your cakes are too thick and have browned before they have heated through completely, you can finish them on racks in a 400 degree oven).

11. Spread a layer of the mousse on a plate.  Crack some black pepper over the grapefruit supremes.

12. Put a crab cake on top of the mousse, top with a few peppered red grapefruit supremes and (if desired) a piece of cooked crab leg meat.

13. Drizzle the plate with a little bit of the chive oil if desired.  Serve.

___________
Browse More:
Crab Recipes

Drink Pairings: Riesling or Gewürztraminer

Ingredients:                         Makes Four Appetizer Servings or 1 Dinner Serving
1 Whole Cooked Dungeness Crab
2 Shallots, thinly sliced
4 cloves Garlic, peeled
1 bunch Scallions, sliced
2 tsp Sugar
1″ Ginger, peeled & cut into matchsticks
1 tbsp Tamari Soy Sauce
1/2 tsp Freshly Cracked Black Pepper
1/2 bunch Fresh Cilantro, stems discarded
1/2 tsp minced Red Fresno Chile
1 gallon + 2 tbsp Peanut Oil
Cornstarch to coat

Directions:
1. Quarter & clean the crab (how to clean Dungeness crabs), but leave the shell on.

2. Heat the gallon of peanut oil in a stockpot to around 400 degrees.

3. Toss the crab pieces in cornstarch to coat.

4. Heat the remaining 2 tbsp of peanut oil in a large frying pan or wok.

5. Fry the crab pieces in the stockpot of oil until golden brown.

6. While the crab is frying in the pot, stir fry the ginger, scallions, garlic, red fresno pepper, and shallots in the wok.  Add the tamari & sugar.

7. Once the crab pieces have formed a crust (from the cornstarch), move them to the wok. Add the cilantro & black pepper.  Toss & serve.

___________
Browse More:
Crab Recipes

Give someone a taste, and they’ll be up to their elbows in the delicious sauce, cracking crab shell with gusto to pick out the delicious meat.

Drink Pairings: Riesling or Gewürztraminer

Ingredients:                         Makes Four Appetizer Servings or 1 Dinner Serving
1 Whole Cooked Dungeness Crab
1/3 cup Ketchup
3 tbsp Chile Sauce/Paste (we used sriracha sauce)
2 tbsp Oyster Sauce
1 tbsp Tamarind Paste, deseeded (could substitute 1 tbsp Sugar & Juice of 1 Lemon)
1 bunch Scallions, thinly sliced on the bias
1″ piece of Ginger, peeled & grated
4 cloves of Garlic, minced
1 Red Fresno Chile, minced
1 Egg
1/2 bunch Fresh Cilantro, stems discarded
Lemon
3 tbsp Peanut Oil

Directions:
1. Quarter & clean the crab (how to clean Dungeness crabs), but leave the shell on.

2. Combine the ketchup, chile sauce, oyster sauce, tamarind paste (or substitute) and a quarter cup of water in a bowl.

3. Heat a wok over medium-high heat & add the peanut oil.  Heat until a test piece of scallion touched to the oil sizzles.

4. Add to the oil the chiles, scallions & garlic.  Saute 30 seconds, until fragrant.  Add the crab & toss.

5. Stir fry the crab for one minute, then add the sauce.  Stir to coat.

6. Simmer for two minutes, then crack in the egg.  Stir the egg into the sauce rapidly, so it thickens and forms ribbons rather than scrambling on the surface.

7. Finish with fresh cilantro & a squeeze of lemon.  Use tongs to serve the crab pieces on a platter, covered with the sauce from the pan.

___________
Browse More:
Crab Recipes

Soft Shell Crabs: Sautéed or deep-fried whole.

Whole Crabs: Hot with butter, in seafood boils, in soup.

Crab Legs: Briefly steamed, boiled, broiled or grilled. Serve with the appropriate utensils (a crab cracker and little forks) to fish out the meat and a dipping sauce. The traditional sauce is melted butter, but you could also use a vinaigrette or ponzu. Can also be added to a seafood boil pot near the end.

See how to cook crab legs for instructions & cooking times.

Crab Claws: Chilled in seafood cocktails, removed from the shell in salads or soups, served on a party platter with aioli, ponzu sauce (we recommend using milder white soy sauce for crab), a citrus vinaigrette, cocktail sauce or melted butter.

How to Make Mayonnaise & Aioli
How to Make a Vinaigrette

Crab Meat (pre-picked from legs, whole crabs, or claws): Chilled in salads, in seafood cocktails, warmed with melted butter, or hot in soups or crab cakes.

_____________
Browse More:
Crab on the Marx Foods Store

Below are the methods we recommend for heating both king crab legs and snow crab legs – boiling, broiling, or steaming. Thaw all frozen crab legs before cooking (general thawing tips).

How to Boil Crab Legs:
1. Fill a deep frying pan or wide pot with the crab legs and just enough water to cover.

2. Bring the water to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer.

3. Cover and let cook. After about four minutes remove the crab legs from the water, drain and serve.

Crab in Seafood Boils
Snow crab leg clusters, whole Dungeness crabs, and whole blue crabs can also be boiled with potatoes, corn on the cob, spicy sausage and (optionally) live mussels or clams as part of a seafood boil. Be sure to add them at the very end and cook just until heated through. Check out our seafood boil seasoning recipe for a great spice blend to add to your boiling water.

How to Steam Crab Legs:
1. Fill a large pot with about an inch of water.

2. Bring the water to a boil, then add a steamer basket with your crab legs.

3. Steam until heated through (about five minutes). Serve.

How to Broil Crab Legs:
1. Set a broiler pan with crab legs about four inches below your broiler or salamander.

2. Broil until heated through…about three to four minutes (time depends on the thickness of the legs and the strength of your broiler.

Great Crab Condiments:
Hot crab legs are delicious served with drawn or clarified butter, mayonnaise, aioli, or a vinaigrette.

How to Make Homemade Aioli & Mayonnaise
How to Clarify Butter
How to Make a Vinaigrette
___________
Browse More:
Crab Recipes
How to Clean a Dungeness Crab

Cleaning a cooked Dungeness crab is a little messy, but easy once you know what to do.  If you’re cleaning the crab for people to crack at the table (as we are demonstrating here) you really only need your hands and a little water.  We recommend doing it in the sink.

1. Flip the crab over on its back. Find the wedge-shaped “apron” on the back end of its stomach. 

2.  Use your finger nails to pry up and remove the apron.  This will expose the inside of the carapace, and you can use the gap to pry the top of the crab’s body off completely.

3.  Flip it over and pry off the top shell.

4.  In the exposed inner cavity, you should see some green goo (brains) and off-gray spongy gills.  Pull out the gills with your fingers, and wash out the brains (you may have to use your fingers to make sure they all come out).

5.  Hold either side of the body with your hands, with your thumbs in the cavity.  Press down with your thumbs and pull up with your hands, cracking the body in half.  Each half crab (with its body meat and leg meat) will provide a single serving.

Serve to your guests with crab crackers and small forks so they can get the meat out of the legs.  The traditional condiment of choice is simply melted butter in a little side dish for dipping.

___________

Browse More:
Crab Recipes
Culinary Techniques
Seafood Tips & Techniques

This is not your typical crab roll.  The coriander really adds depth to the sweet crab meat, and the yuzu aioli, quite potent on its own, fades into the background for a faint zesty finish.

Drink Pairings: Sauvignon Blanc from Sanserre or Chardonnay from Chablis

Ingredients: (Makes 4 servings)
20oz Dungeness Crab Meat or Peeky Toe Crab Meat
Two Egg Yolks
½ clove of Garlic
1 tsp of Mustard
1 ½-2 tbsp Yuzu Juice
2 tsp whole Coriander
2 tbsp Fresh Parsley Leaves
2 tsp Lemon Juice
1 tsp Lemon Zest, finely minced
1 tbsp plain Mayonnaise
2 tbsp of Unsalted Butter
8 small Butter Lettuce Leaves (4 large)
4 Brioche Rolls, Demi Baguettes or Hoagie Rolls

Directions:
1. Make the Yuzu Aioli with the egg, garlic, mustard, and yuzu juice to taste (how to make an aioli).

2. Lightly toast the coriander seeds in a dry pan, just until they become aromatic.  Be sure to keep the pan moving and not to leave them unattended…they burn easily.

3. Let the coriander cool, then grind it into a fine powder (how to grind whole spices).

4. Toss the crab meat with the whole parsley leaves, lemon juice, lemon zest, plain mayonnaise and ground coriander.

5. Melt 1 tbsp of the butter in a large frying pan, swirling it for even coverage.

6. Add two buns, toast one side, then, flip.

7. Once the first two buns are toasted, set them aside and repeat with the rest of the butter and rolls.

8. Spread yuzu aioli on the buns, add a layer of butter lettuce leaves, then pile on the crab mixture.  Serve.

___________

Browse More:
Crab Recipes
Citrus Fruit Recipes

This is a light and incredibly simple salad dressed with a preserved meyer lemon vinaigrette (but you could use any preserved citrus fruit, make a basic vinaigrette, or subsitute mayonnaise & lemon juice) that showcases the beautiful flavor of top quality crab meat. The appearance of this salad will change depending on which variety of crab you use. Peekytoe meat (as shown here) will provide smaller pieces with a fine string consistency, whereas Dungeness crab will be in large fluffy chunks.

As alternatives to serving this as a simple seafood salad, you could put it in a toasted brioche bun for a delicious crab salad sandwich or toss it with salad greens to get more servings out of the same amount of crab.

Wine Pairings: Vouvray or dry reisling from Pfalz

Ingredients: (serves 6)

1/2lb peekytoe crab meat or Dungeness crab meat
1 tbsp fresh lemon thyme leaves off the stalk
1 tbsp fresh chervil leaves off the stalk
1 large shallot, minced.
Fresh meyer lemon for garnish

Plus:
2 tbsp Preserved Meyer Lemon Vinaigrette, basic vinaigrette, or lemon & mayonnaise

Directions:

1. Lightly toss all ingredients together.

2. Garnish with an herb sprig and a small meyer lemon wedge. Serve.

___________

Browse More:
Crab Recipes
Seafood Recipes

Here’s how:

1. If your soft shell crabs are frozen, thaw them. Check out our general thawing tips for more info.

2. Using a sharp set of kitchen shears, trim the “head” off of each crab. This is the front section of the crab, just behind the eyes.

3. Remove the crab’s stomach by reaching into the newly created gap in the shell and pulling it out.

4. Peel back one side (right or left, not front or back) of the top shell and pull out the crab’s gills (these are darker and feathery…also known as “dead man’s fingers” because of their appearance).

5. Repeat with the other side.

6. Flip the crab over and find the apron. This is a flap of shell that curls under the crab’s belly. Lift it up and use your shears to trim it off.

7. Cook your crabs according to your recipe. They’re usually deep fried or sautéed.

8. Enjoy!
___________
Browse More:
How to Clean a Dungeness Crab
Crab Recipes

 

Dungeness Crab with Clams and Mussels in Fortified Broth

Comforting and full of flavor, fortified fish fumet is the perfect way to steam/simmer crab, mussels, and clams for this shellfish feast.  All the shellfish you sacrificed to fortify the fumet really pay off here, as they turn up the flavor volume on the seafood you’re actually going to eat.

Drink Pairings: Muscadet or Clare Valley Riesling (Australia)

Ingredients: (4 Servings)
1 quart Shellfish Fortified Fish Fumet
1/2lb Live Clams,cleaned
1/2lb Live Mussels, cleaned
¼ cup Shallots, finely diced
¼ cup crisp, dry White Wine
2 Cooked Dungeness Crabs
1 Lemon
1 tbsp Fresh parsley chopped
Olive Oil

Directions:

1. Clean the crabs & crack them down the middle (How to Clean Dungeness Crabs).

2. Saute the shallots in oil in a deep pot or dutch oven.

3. When they’re fragrant, add white wine, clams and mussels.

4. Cook the alcohol off, add the crab and the fish fumet, cover and simmer until the clams and mussels open.  Check frequently, and remove individual mussels and clams as they open so they don’t overcook.

5. Put a layer of clams and mussels in the bottom of a large bowl (for family style) or individual soup bowls.  Top with the crab (1/2 crab each).

6. Pour the hot broth over the top.  Garnish with the fresh parsley, a drizzle of olive oil and lemon halves so guests can add lemon juice as desired.

___________

Browse More:
Crab Recipes
Clam Recipes
Mussel Recipes