BAKED SHRIMP WITH CRABMEAT STUFFING

With crabmeat left over from our last crab party that I froze and thawed, and some big shrimp that caught my eye at the fish market, I made a dinner for two with plenty of leftovers for the next day's big game.  We liked the flavorings in this recipe.  There's just a background suggestion of heat and it's not too salty.  A squeeze of lemon juice is all we added at the table.

Baked Shrimp with Crabmeat Stuffing
Adapted half recipe from food.com
Rating:  9.5 out of 10
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8 oz. crabmeat, shells and cartilege removed
3/4 - 1 tsp. Old Bay seasoning (I used 3/4 tsp.)
1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp. butter + 1-1/2 Tbsp. melted butter for tops
1/4 cup minced scallions, or onions
2 Tbsp. minced celery
2 Tbsp. minced green or red peppers
2 Tbsp. finely chopped parsley
1-1/2 tsp. minced or grated garlic
2 Tbsp. lite mayonnaise
1 egg
1-1/2 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
1-1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1-1/2 tsp. hot sauce
1/3 cup crushed saltines
1/4 tsp. Diamond kosher salt
1/8 tsp. black pepper
1-1/4 lb. large shrimp (10-15/lb. size), peeled with tails entact, deveined and butterflied.

Heat oven to 375F.  Spray a 9x12 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray; set aside.  Place crabmeat in a large bowl and sprinkle with Old Bay seasoning.  Toss lightly to combine; cover; refrigerate.

In a 10- or 12-inch saute pan or frying pan, heat oil and 1 Tbsp. butter over medium heat.  Add onions, celery and peppers and cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes.  Stir in parsley and garlic; cook, stirring, 1 additional minute.  Off heat; cool at least 1/2 hour.  When vegetables are cool, add them to the crabmeat and toss lightly to combine.

In a small bowl, whisk together mayo, egg, lemon juice, Worcestershire and hot sauce.  Pour over crab mixture and toss lightly to combine.  Fold in saltines, salt and pepper, mixing lightly but thoroughly.

Mound some crabmeat stuffing over each shrimp, using about 1 Tbsp. for each.  Place shrimp, stuffed sides up, in baking dish.  Drizzle with the 1-1/2 Tbsp. melted butter.  Bake about 20 minutes, or till shrimp is cooked through.  (If you want more browning, just place shrimp under the broiler for a minute or two before serving.)  Yield:  4-5 servings

LOW-FAT CRAB SALAD FOR TWO

This crab salad is perfect for anyone who appreciates the delicate flavor of crab meat and doesn't like to cover it up with tons of spices and ingredients that mask it.  Four ingredients, not counting the crab meat and salt and pepper, and you're on your way to crab heaven.  Serve it as is, on lettuce or spinach, in a sandwich, or in a tomato or avocado.  It doesn't get much better than this.

Low-Fat Crab Salad for Two
Rating:  9.5 out of 10
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INGREDIENTS:
6 Tbsp. finely chopped celery
1 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 tsp. Diamond sea salt, or to taste
1/8 tsp. white pepper (or black, if preferred)
Optional:  pinch of Old Bay seasoning
1 Tbsp. lite mayonnaise
1/2 Tbsp. plain, nonfat Greek yogurt*
1/2 lb. lump crab meat, picked over, shells and cartilage removed

In small bowl, thoroughly combine celery, lemon juice, salt, pepper, Old Bay (if using), mayo and yogurt.  Gently fold in crab meat, taking care not to break the lumps.  Chill in fridge at least 1/2 hour to blend flavors.  Serve as desired, in avocado shells, scooped tomato shells, on lettuce or other greens or as a sandwich.  Yield:  2 servings

*Buy a national brand of Greek yogurt,such as Chobani, Fage or Oikos, as store brands tend to be lip-puckering tart. 

PRESERVE YOUR CRAB CATCH

The beautiful fried soft-shell crabs in the above photo were delicious, and tasted like they were freshly caught.  The truth is they had been in our freezer for over a month.

Crabs, whether they're raw or cooked, freeze well.  Right now, in our freezer, we have 1 lb. of picked, cooked crab meat, 4 crab cakes, half a dozen blue claws and half a dozen soft shells.  We'll be adding to that as the season progresses, but we'll also be feasting on all that great crab catch as we go along.

Double bag crabs for extra protection against freezer burn.  We wrap the soft shells in plastic wrap individually, then place inside freezer bags.  The blue claws are placed in a freezer bag, sealed, then placed in a second freezer bag.  How long will they keep?  We've been successful at 3 months.