Succulent, a delicacy, and luxurious are some of the words that come to mind when thinking about fresh crabmeat.
The tender, sweet lumps of crab are prized for their impressive size, bright white color, and exquisite flavor. Jumbo lump crabmeat is pricey, but truly needs very little preparation or additional ingredients. West Indies Salad is one of the purest dishes for serving lump crab and is also one of the easiest to prepare and serve.
Lump crabmeat should be handled gently and always purchased from a reputable fishmonger and consumed within a day or so. It should have no odor, and the lumps of sweet meat should be left whole and never be broken up, only running your fingers through the meat to pick out any shell that may be left behind.
Summertime is seafood time, and nothing is better than fresh crabmeat served with not much more than fresh vegetables at their peak. Splurge a bit, and try some of these delectable recipes and relish every bite of the star of the sea. Happy summer, y’all!
MARINATED CRAB CLAWS
1 pint crab claws, drained
½ cup chopped green onions
½ cup chopped fresh parsley
1 clove garlic, minced
1/3 cup olive oil
1/3 cup citrus Champagne vinegar (may use white vinegar)
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon Tabasco Sauce
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ red onion, thinly sliced
1 (3.5-ounce) jar capers, rinsed and drained
1 (8.5-ounce) jar caper berries, drained
1 lemon, thinly sliced
In a medium-size glass bowl, place crab claws, then add remaining ingredients and stir gently. Refrigerate for several hours, tossing occasionally. Check seasonings, and serve cold with cocktail forks or toothpicks.
Yield: 6 appetizer servings
WEST INDIES SALAD
2 cups lump crabmeat
1 medium-size sweet onion, minced
½ cup vegetable oil
½ cup vinegar
½ cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 teaspoon Tabasco Sauce
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Fresh lettuce leaves for serving
Crostini or other plain crackers
In a glass bowl, place crabmeat and cover with chopped onion. In a separate bowl, whisk oil, vinegar, and seasonings together. Pour over crabmeat and gently toss, being careful not to break up lumps of crab. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Check seasonings and serve on lettuce leaves with crostini.
Yield: 6 servings
CRABMEAT SHOOTERS WITH HEIRLOOM TOMATOES
½ pound lump crabmeat
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup citrus Champagne vinegar
½ cup green onion, minced
1 cup heirloom grape tomatoes, chopped
4 shot glasses rimmed with Creole seasoning
In a small glass bowl, toss lump crab meat with salt, pepper, and citrus Champagne vinegar. In a separate bowl, toss tomatoes with salt and pepper. When ready to serve, layer glasses with crabmeat, onions, and chopped tomatoes until glass is full. Garnish with green onion if desired.
Yield: 4 servings
CRABMEAT STUFFED TOMATOES WITH CREOLE MUSTARD VINAIGRETTE
2 large ripe tomatoes, tops removed and cored
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
¼ pound fresh crabmeat, tossed with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup fresh parsley, minced
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 avocado, pit removed, peeled and diced
1 ear fresh corn, steamed and kernels removed
Dash hot sauce
2 tablespoons mayonnaise, preferably homemade
Zest of 1 lemon
½ cup Creole Mustard Vinaigrette (recipe follows)
For garnish: Lemon wedges
Fresh lettuce leaves
Remove enough flesh inside of each tomato to create a bowl. Salt and pepper insides. In a bowl, combine crabmeat, parsley, lemon juice, avocado, fresh corn kernels, hot sauce, and enough mayonnaise just to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Fill each tomato with crab mixture, and top with lemon zest and Creole Mustard Vinaigrette. Serve with lemon wedges and fresh lettuce leaves immediately or refrigerate for several hours.
Yield: 2 servings
Creole Mustard Vinaigrette
¼ cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons Creole mustard
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
⅔ cup olive oil
In a small bowl, combine vinegar and mustard. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add olive oil in a slow drizzle, whisking to emulsify.
SANTE FE TORTILLAS
3 egg yolks, lightly beaten
Juice of 1 lemon
Pinch kosher salt
2 teaspoons Crystal hot sauce
1 stick cold butter, cut into 8 pieces
3 to 4 flour or corn tortillas, cut into strips
2 cups oil
1 tablespoon Creole seasoning
2 to 3 tablespoons butter
1 small jalapeño, finely chopped
1 pound fresh lump crabmeat
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
For sauce, bring a small saucepan of water to a simmer. In a glass bowl, place yolks, lemon juice, salt, and Crystal hot sauce and whisk until combined. Place bowl over simmering water and whisk mixture over very low heat, just until sauce has begun to thicken. Remove from heat and add butter, one piece at a time, whisking constantly until mixture is completely smooth. Check seasonings and adjust if necessary. Cover sauce and keep warm. In a medium-size saucepan, add 2 cups vegetable oil and heat until temperature reaches 350 degrees. Fry tortilla strips in batches and drain on paper towels. Toss strips with Creole seasoning while still hot. In a separate saucepan, melt butter over low heat. When butter begins to foam, add chopped jalapeños. Sauté for several minutes then add crabmeat. Toss gently just until crabmeat is warm. Season with salt and pepper and remove from heat.
When ready to serve, spread 3 to 4 tablespoons of sauce on bottom of each plate. Place ¼ cup crabmeat mixture in center of each plate and top with fried tortilla strips. Sprinkle extra seasoning on plate if desired.
Yield: 4 servings
CRAB AND CREAM CHEESE DIP
This is a delicious dip that the late chef Jamie Shannon from Commander’s Palace shared from his mother, Miss Ella.
1 pound fresh lump crabmeat, divided
8 ounces cream cheese, softened and cut into 3 pieces
1 teaspoon hot sauce
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 to 2 teaspoons prepared horseradish
2 tablespoons coarse-ground Creole mustard
1 bunch green onions, chopped and divided
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Toasted plain or pumpernickel toast points, or plain crackers
Fresh chives for garnish if desired
Place half of crabmeat in bowl of a food processor. Add a third of cream cheese, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, horseradish, mustard, two-thirds of chopped green onions, salt, and pepper. Pulse machine for about 15 seconds, scrape sides and bowl with a spatula, and add half of remaining cream cheese and pulse again. Scrape bowl again, and add remaining cream cheese. Pulse machine again and puree mixture. Scrape mixture into a bowl and check seasonings. Reserve 2 to 3 tablespoons crabmeat for topping. Fold in remaining green onions and crabmeat. Top with reserved lump crabmeat, and serve with toast points or plain crackers. Garnish with chives if desired.
Yield: 4 cups