CRAB MELT SANDWICHES

My thanks to crabplace.com for this recipe.

Crab Melt Sandwiches
1 lb. fresh lump crabmeat, cartilage removed
2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice, or to taste
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tsp. coarse-grained mustard
4 (1") thick slices Italian bread, with crust removed
4 tsp. fresh grated Parmesan cheese
unsalted butter, softened

Put crabmeat in a bowl and add 1 Tbsp. lime juice; toss to combine. In small bowl, whisk together remaining Tbsp. lime juice, mayonnaise, and mustard until smooth. Pour sauce over crab and toss to coat. Season crab mixture with salt and pepper and chill, covered, for 30 minutes.

Preheat broiler. Lightly toast bread. Lightly butter toast. Spoon 1/4 crab mixture into 1/2 cup measure. Holding toast on top of mixture in measure, invert crab onto the toast and set on an ugreased baking sheet. Repeat procedure with remaining crab mixture and toast and sprinkle 1 Tbsp. Parmesan over each sandwich. Broil sandwiches about 3" from heat until cheese is melted and golden, 1-2 minutes. Serves 4.

SUPER EASY CRABS AND SPAGHETTI

For those of you who like the idea of crabs and spaghetti but are intimidated by the thought of making a sauce and all it entails, here's an easy way to get your crabs and spaghetti.

Just buy the pasteurized crabmeat and mix it with your favorite marinara sauce. Presto. You have crabs and spaghetti.


Take it one step further: if you have steamed crabs on hand, pick the meat out of all but the claws. Mix the claws with your favorite marinara sauce and heat through. Remove the claws and add the picked crabmeat; heat and serve with pasta. Garnish with the claws.

JUDY'S CRABS AND SPAGHETTI

The Crab Guy makes these adorable crab boards. They're not only cute, but also practical. There's no better surface on which to crack open crabs. If you are interested in purchasing crab boards, please leave a comment at the end of the post with info on how to reach you. Sets ($26.95 plus shipping) include one genuine hardwood board, mallet and cup for butter or vinegar. Knives are extra. There are no red boards left.  The new board has an etched crab. The crab is also etched onto the mallet.
















The Crab Guy has been catching a lot of crabs in his Pamlico County crab trap. Sunday morning he caught 18 more beautiful blue crabs which he gave to a friend because we are so overloaded with crabs. We emptied our freezer of last week's crabs for Sunday's crab feast of crabs and spaghetti and steamed crabs. We rounded out the meal with Guy's Caesar salad and my Peach Cream Pie Glace. We were all happy campers Sunday night. (We were joined in our crab feast by our photographer friend and his wife. He is responsible for the great photos here. Thanks, Tom!)

This sauce is all about the tomatoes. Buy San Marzano tomatoes. Yes, they're expensive. But they are oh, so worth it. You will taste the difference, I promise. I only had one can of San Marzano tomatoes on hand, so I used a can of Cento also. They didn't ruin the dish, because Cento is a good brand of tomatoes. But tasting from the can, there was a pronounced difference. Cento was more acidic, while San Marzano was sweeter with no aftertaste. The Crab Guy was suspicious of the sauce. Being an Italian, he wanted his aunt's sauce which is smooth. He kept checking the sauce as it was cooking, taking little tastes here and there. "I hope this won't be too thick," he moaned. (He likes a thin sauce.) When it was served, he and everyone else at the table said it was magnificent! 10 out of 10 for this one. Depending on how many people you want to feed, and how many crabs you want to cook, you could get several batches of sauce. We decided we only wanted to cook 8 crabs in the sauce and the rest we wanted to steam. So I removed 2 quarts of sauce before I added the crabs. This way, I have 2 jars of marinara sauce that I can do whatever I want with -- I can add crabs or use the marinara sauce by itself on spaghetti. It freezes well, so that's where it's going. When we got all done eating, there was still sauce left. Our friends took home some steamed crabs and a pint of sauce, so they can have their own crabs and spaghetti, and we had a pint of sauce and steamed crabs left for ourselves. Not bad for a day's work.
Judy's Crabs and Spaghetti
3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1-1/2 cups chopped sweet onion
1 heaping Tbsp. minced garlic
1 jalapeno or serrano pepper, seeded, membrane removed (or 1 dried hot pepper pod, seeds removed can be substituted, if desired)
3 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
3 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil
1 tsp. crushed anise seed
1 Tbsp. honey
2 tsp. sea salt (or more, according to taste, but start out with 2, then taste)
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
2 (35-oz.) cans crushed San Marzano plum tomatoes
1 (6-oz) can Contadina plain tomato paste
About 24 - 28 oz. water
8-10 fresh or frozen blue claw crabs
1 pkg. (16 oz.) thin spaghetti (Barilla, de Cecco and Buitoni are all good brands)

In large Dutch oven or stockpot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add onion; saute for 1 minute. Cover pot, reduce heat to low and cook the onion for about 5 minutes. Remove lid; add garlic; cook for 1 minute. Add remaining ingredients; turn heat to high and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low; cover pot; simmer for 45 minutes. Taste to adjust seasonings, adding more salt if needed. Remove 2 quarts of sauce that you can freeze.

Add crabs, doing your best to get them covered with sauce. Some of the crabs will be partially or completely above the sauce; be sure you rotate so that the ones above the sauce eventually get under the sauce, and vice versa. Cover pot; simmer crabs for 45 minutes, stirring and moving the crabs around as needed. When crabs are nearly done, bring a big pot (5-6 quart) of water to a boil. Add 2 tsp. sea salt and spaghetti. Bring water back to boil, reduce heat slightly and cook according to package directions, stirring frequently. Drain spaghetti through colander and return to pot.

To serve: With tongs, remove crabs from pot and place on a platter. Stir sauce; spoon some over the spaghetti and mix lightly. Now, you have lots of options:

1. Serve a big platter of spaghetti with sauce on top and crabs on another platter.
2. Serve a big platter of spaghetti with sauce and crabs on top.
3. Serve individual plates of spaghetti with sauce on top and crabs served separately.
4. Serve individual plates of spaghetti with sauce and crabs on top.

I opted for #4. This is a messy meal. Instead of napkins, you might want to use a roll of paper towels at the table. First you have to suck the sauce off the crabs, then crack them open and eat them. We covered the table with crab paper, but you can use newspaper. Everyone just puts the picked shells on the table paper. Let me know if you make these, and how they turn out.

OLD BAY CRAB CAKES

This recipe is from the people who make Old Bay Seafood Seasoning. I think they know a thing or two about crabs and crabcakes. (Thanks to crabplace.com for publishing this.)

Old Bay Crab Cakes
2 slices bread, crusts removed
milk
1 lb. special crabmeat
1 egg, beaten
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. Old Bay seasoning
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1 Tbsp. chopped parsley
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp. mayonnaise
oil for frying

Break bread in small pieces and moisten with milk; combine with remaining ingredients. Shape into patties. Fry quickly in 3 or 4 Tbsp. hot oil until brown. Serves 6

When the Baltimore Spicy Company left the crab cake recipe off of the Old Bay Seafood Seasoning can, its switchboard lit up with callers wanting to know why.

EASY CRAB SAUTE

Easy Crab Saute
1 lb. backfin crabmeat, shell & cartilage removed
juice of 1 lemon
4 Tbsp. Smart Balance buttery spread, or extra virgin olive oil
2 minced garlic cloves
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
1 Tbsp. fresh oregano
Pinch of cayenne or crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 - 1/2 cup of drinking-quality white wine

Toss the crabmeat with the lemon juice; set aside. Heat the SB or oil in a medium skillet over medium heat and add the garlic. Saute about 1 minute; add the herbs, pepper and wine and let it bubble briefly, then just heat everything through, about 1 more minute. Serve this on toast rounds or parsley-butter pasta. Round out the meal with a tossed salad.

EASY CRAB DIP

Easy Crab Dip
1 cup crabmeat, shell and cartilage removed
juice of 1 lemon
1 (3-oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
2 Tbsp. milk
2 Tbsp. mayonnaise
1 clove garlic, minced
1 scallion, finely cut
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

Stir lemon juice with crabmeat and refrigerate for 30 minutes or more. Mix cream cheese with remaining ingredients and blend well. Gently fold in crabmeat and serve with your favorite crackers.

JUDY'S CRAB-SHRIMP PASTA SALAD

In Eastern North Carolina, there is a popular eating place,
Gary's Downeast Seafood Restaurant. Gary's is in Arapahoe, Pamlico County. They have delicious shrimpburgers and possibly the best seafood pasta salad I have ever tasted.

A few of us got together recently and were talking about what could possibly be in this salad to make it so good. Someone said he tasted olive oil. I tasted dill. Someone else tasted fresh parsley....fresh whole shrimp....lots of crabmeat....not too much mayonnaise.

If only we could duplicate this at home.....which is what I tried to do today. And I came close. Actually, this salad is so good, I forgot all about Gary.

Judy's Crab-Shrimp Pasta Salad

2/3 cup uncooked small shell pasta or penne

2 Tbsp. minced celery

1 Tbsp. minced onion

1/4 tsp. sea salt

big pinch black pepper

2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

2 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh dill

1 tsp. minced fresh parsley

1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

1 heaping cup cooked crab meat

1 heaping cup cooked shrimp

2 Tbsp. Smart Balance Lite mayonnaise

3/4 tsp. powdered ranch dressing mix

1 Tbsp. fat-free half and half

Cook pasta in boiling salted water as package directs. Drain. Cool thoroughly.

In medium bowl, combine celery, onion, salt, pepper, lemon juice, herbs, and oil. Add cooled pasta, crab meat and shrimp. Toss lightly to distribute ingredients. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight to develop flavors.

In the meantime, prepare dressing: In small cup or bowl, combine mayo, ranch dressing mix and half and half. Cover and refrigerate.

Before serving, pour dressing over salad and toss lightly to distribute evenly. Serve over lettuce. Yield: 2 servings.

EASY STEAMED CRABS

When you don't have a bushel of crabs to steam, here's an easy way to do them. You can use this method for blue claws, Snow crabs and King crabs. And, BTW, Snow crabs and King crabs are already cooked. They just need to be heated. We did a small batch of blue claws last night (5 crabs), and some Snow crabs (5 clusters). I thawed the Snow crabs in the fridge overnight. They were still partially frozen when we heated them. We treated the blue claws and the Snow crabs the same.
First, lay them in a large pan. I used 13x17 aluminum trays purchased from Wal-Mart, 2 in a pkg. for about $10.

Next, Sprinkle the crabs with some Old Bay or Chesapeake Bay seasoning. We prefer the Chesapeake Bay seasoning, and I believe it is slightly lower in salt. The Crab Guy tends to use more of the seasoning than I do. Next, pour about 1 cup of water into the pan. Cover with aluminum foil. Place on a hot, preheated grill (425F), with the lid down, for 10 minutes. Take a peak under the foil to be sure there's steam coming out. If so, take them off. The blue claws should have turned red and the Snow crabs should be steaming hot. In case they're not steaming, just recover and give them a few more minutes. These do not take long at all, and usually 10 minutes does it.
Serve the blue claws with apple cider vinegar cups and serve the Snow crabs with melted butter. We had corn on the cob and a nice cucumber-tomato salad to round out our meal.

CHEEZY CRAB HORS D'OEUVRES

Cheezy Crab Hors D'oeuvres
1 cup (8 oz.) crabmeat
1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened
1 Tbsp. milk
1 Tbsp. instant minced onion
1/2 tsp. horseradish
salt and pepper, to taste
1 (2 oz.) package slivered almonds

Remove cartilage from crabmeat. Blend together cream cheese, milk, onion and horseradish. Gently mix in crabmeat. Add salt and pepper. Put in shallow baking dish (1 quart), sprinkle almonds over top. Bake at 350F until lightly browned on top, about 20 minutes. Serve hot on crackers or as a dip. Makes about 2 cups.

BOOKBINDER'S CRAB CAKES

Bookbinder's Crab Cakes
1 Tbsp. green pepper
1 Tbsp. minced onions
1 Tbsp. minced celery
1 Tbsp. minced pimiento
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp. butter
4 Tbsp. flour
1 cup milk
1 lb. jumbo lump crab meat
2 eggs, beaten
bread crumbs
Oil for frying

Mix vegetables and seasonings. Cook in butter on low heat for 10 minutes. Add flour and stir to blend well. Add milk and crab and mix. Chill and form into cakes; dip into egg and then into bread crumbs. Fry in hot oil. Serves 6.

Recipe courtesy of crabplace.com

KARSON'S INN CRAB CAKES

Karson's Inn, Baltimore, Maryland, prepares their crab cakes this way:

Karson's Inn Crab Cakes
2 lb. backfin crabmeat
2/3 cups breadcrumbs
2/3 cup mayonnaise
1 egg
3 Tbsp. horseradish
2-1/2 Tbsp. finely chopped green pepper
1 tsp. prepared mustard
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
Fat or oil for frying

Remove cartilage from crabmeat. Place all ingredients in large bowl and toss lightly, but thoroughly. Do not break crab lumps. Form into 10 patties. Fry in deep fat at 360F until golden brown, about 6-8 minutes.

CHESAPEAKE CRABMEAT SALAD

Here's a basic crabmeat salad recipe that you can serve in a tomato or avocado. Or you can add some small shell pasta to it and have it as a crab-pasta salad. I updated the recipe with sea salt and Smart Balance Lite Mayo. From Maryland Seafood, Cookbook I, Maryland Dept. of Economic and Community Development.

Chesapeake Crabmeat Salad
3/4 cup finely chopped celery
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. sea salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
3 Tbsp. Smart Balance Lite Mayonnaise
1 tsp. capers (optional)
1 lb. backfin crabmeat, cartilage removed

Combine everything but crabmeat in a medium bowl and mix well. Add crabmeat and mix gently but thoroughly. Refrigerate. Makes about 3 cups salad.

THE CRAB CLAW'S IMPERIAL CRAB, ADAPTED

This one is from The Crab Claw, Inc., St. Michaels, Maryland. It's their version of crab imperial. I've updated it with Smart Balance Lite Mayo and sea salt.

The Crab Claw's Imperial Crab, adapted
2 eggs
1/2 cup Smart Balance Lite mayonnaise
2 Tbsp. chopped pimiento
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
6-8 drops liquid hot pepper sauce
1 tsp. sea salt
2 lbs. backfin crabmeat
1-1/2 tsp. seafood seasoning
1 tsp. SB Lite mayo per shell
Paprika, for sprinkling

Mix eggs, mayo, pimiento, Worcestershire sauce, liquid hot pepper sauce and salt together with a fork until well blended. Remove cartilage from crabmeat. Put crabmeat in large bowl and sprinkle with seafood seasoning. Add egg mixture and mix gently. Spoon mixture into 8 individual shells (or ramekins). Spread 1 tsp. mayo over top of each shell and sprinkle with paprika.
Bake in 400F oven until hot and bubbly, about 20 minutes. Serve immediately. 8 servings.

JUDY'S SOFT- SHELL CRABS AND PASTA

As if our freezer were short of crabs, I couldn't believe that Guy came home with soft-shell crabs! We have king crabs, snow crabs and Blue Claws in the freezer now. See why we call him "the crab Guy"?

I decided to cook the soft-shells the way I do clams and spaghetti. The only real change I made was to add fresh basil from our garden. Guy really enjoyed this dish a lot. He hardly came up for air when he was eating. I told him not to bring home any more soft-shells until we empty the freezer of crabs. But he said he wanted fried soft-shells. So I guess I'll
be seeing more soft-shells soon.
The red strips you see in the photos are home-grown hot peppers. I left the seeds and membrane in, so they gave a nice heat to the dish, which Guy likes.
While I was making his soft-shells and pasta, I was also cooking something for me, since I just can't eat crabs as often as he can. I know, I know. I'm supposed to be the Crab Lady. But what that means is that I'm kind of forced into finding new recipes for the crabs because the crab Guy keeps bringing crabs home.

Judy's Soft-Shell Crabs & Pasta
1/2 lb. thin spaghetti
2 Tbsp. Smart Balance buttery spread
1-1/2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1-1/2 Tbsp. butter
1/2 cup chopped sweet onion
1 Tbsp. finely chopped garlic
1 fresh or dried hot pepper, halved
6 soft-shell crabs, cleaned
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
1/2 cup drinking-quality white wine


Cook spaghetti in salted water according to manufacturer's directions. Drain; return to pot with the Smart Balance. Toss to melt butter. While spaghetti is cooking, start crab sauce. In large heavy skillet, over medium heat, melt the oil & butter. Add onion, garlic and hot pepper; saute for 4-6 minutes, or till onions are transparent, taking care not to burn the garlic. Pat crabs dry with paper towel; turn heat to high and add crabs to skillet. Cook 2 minutes; turn crabs over, breaking them up as you turn them, and add the herbs and wine. Let everything sizzle for a minute, then cover, reduce heat and simmer until pasta is done and ready. Place a serving of pasta in a bowl or on a plate and top with half the crab sauce. Serves 2

FRIED SOFT SHELL CRABS

This recipe is from Harrison's Chesapeake House, Tilghman Island, Maryland. Frying soft shell crabs is a pretty straightforward process with a minimum of ingredients. Soft shells are completely different from the crabs that most people are used to eating. There is no hard shell. The entire crab is edible, because it is a blue crab that has shed its hard shell and has not yet had the new shell formed. The Crab Guy is very finicky about his crabs -- he still cleans soft shells before cooking them.

Fried Soft Shell Crabs

1 cup flour

1 tsp. sea salt

1 tsp. pepper

1/2 tsp. baking powder

12 soft shell crabs, cleaned

Fat or oil for frying

Mix together flour, salt, pepper and baking powder. Dredge crabs in flour mixture to coat well. In large fry pan, heat about 1/2 inch fat to 375F. Add crabs and turn heat down to 350F. Cook crabs until browned, about 5 minutes on each side. Serves 6, 2 crabs each.

CRABMEAT OMELET

Thanks to Anne MacKenzie, Food Editor, Aegis, Bel Air, Maryland, we can even make an omelet with crabmeat. Her recipe is fairly straightforward and sounds pretty good. It's certainly a great way to start off your day! You'll need two pans for this recipe: a medium saucepan and a 10" omelete pan or heavy skillet. That's because the crab mixture is sauteed separately from the egg, then the crabmeat is spooned down the center of the omelet with the two sides folded over it.

Crabmeat Omelet

1/2 cup backfin crabmeat, cartilage removed

1-1/2 tsp. + 1 Tbsp. Smart Balance buttery spread or extra virgin olive oil, divided use

1-1/2 Tbsp. chopped green onions

1 + 1/2 tsp. chopped parsley, divided use

1 tsp. fresh lemon juice

1/4 + 1/4 tsp. sea salt, divided use

Dash + dash black pepper, divided use

2 drops + 3 drops Liquid hot pepper sauce, divided use

2 eggs

1 Tbsp. water

Melt 1-1/2 tsp. Smart Balance in medium saucepan, and saute' onions and 1 tsp. parsley over medium-low heat. Do not brown the SB. Add crabmeat, lemon juice, 1/4 tsp salt, dash pepper and 2 drops liquid hot pepper sauce, tossing with care to keep from breaking crab lumps. Place on low heat, or cover and keep warm, while you prepare the omelet.

Whisk 2 eggs well in small bowl; mix in water, remaining salt, pepper and hot pepper sauce. Melt remaining SB in 10" heavy skillet over medium heat until it sizzles; add eggs. As eggs begin to set around sides of pan, gently lift edges with spatula, allowing uncooked egg to flow to sides. Continue this process until egg will no longer flow when edges are lifted and is of a jelly consistency. Spoon crabmeat mixture down the center of the omelet. Fold two sides of omelet toward center over crab filling. Slide onto warm plate. Sprinkle with remaining parsley.

Serves 1-2.

MARYLAND PAVILION CRAB CAKES, ADAPTED

This recipe came from the Maryland Pavilion at the 1964-1965 New York World's Fair. I was at that fair, not once, but at least 4 times. I ran bus trips, and my brother-in-law got passes from General Motors (where he worked t the time) that put all of us at the head of the line for the GM pavilion. That was the fair that introduced Belgian Waffles (actually the hit of the fair); and I remember eating them with delight and marveling with each scrumptious bite at the huge strawberries and rich, cake-like waffles smothered with whipped cream. I missed the crab cakes, but am so glad I found this recipe on crabplace.com. This ranks as my #1 crab cake recipe right now. These are really delicious, especially with the coating I used. The recipe calls for cracker crumbs, but I mixed crushed saltines with crushed crispy rice cereal and it worked really well to produce a crispy coating. The downside is you should fry these for the best texture; so just don't have them every week. I'm giving you the recipe as I adapted it and halved it; you can find the original at the crab place website. I highly recommend this recipe.

Maryland Pavilion Crab Cakes, half recipe, adapted
(Rating: 10 out of 10)
1 egg
1 Tbsp. Smart Balance Lite Mayonnaise
2 tsp. Grey Poupon spicy brown mustard
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
1/8 tsp. sea salt
dash black pepper
1/2 tsp. liquid hot pepper sauce (such as Tabasco)
1/2 lb. jumbo lump crab meat, cartilage removed
1/3 cup saltines, finely crushed
1/3 cup crispy rice cereal, finely crushed

In a medium bowl, whisk first 7 ingredients till well combined. Gently fold in crab meat. Form into 4 cakes; set aside. In a small bowl or on waxed paper combine the crackers and cereal which have been finely crushed. Pat the crumbs lightly onto the crab cakes. At this point, you can put the cakes in a dish, cover them with plastic wrap and refrigerate them until ready to cook. When ready to cook, heat oil in a heavy skillet. When oil is hot, add crab cakes and cook on each side for 3-4 minutes, til golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Makes 4 cakes.

HARBOUR HOUSE MARYLAND CRAB CAKES

It's amazing how many variations on crab cakes there are. This one is from the Harbour House Restaurant, Annapolis, Maryland. I haven't tried it yet, but I'm sure it's good. Let me know if you try it. Leave a comment at the end of any post.

Harbour House Maryland Crab Cakes
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1 egg, beaten
5 Tbsp. mayonnaise
1 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh parsley
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. prepared mustard
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. white pepper
1 lb. crab meat, cartilage removed

Whisk all ingredients except crab meat in medium bowl, mixing well. Fold in crab meat lightly but thoroughly. Form into 6 cakes. Deep fry at 350F until golden brown, 2-3 minutes. Or fry lightly in olive oil in heavy pan, 3-4 minutes each side.

GUY'S STEAMED CRABS

My husband, Guy, loves crabs. He dreams about crabs all year. We call him "the crab Guy." He has his own blogspot -- thecrabguy.blogspot.com. Guy set a crab trap at our friend's dock in Pamlico County. He checks it regularly and also crabs over there. Yesterday, he caught half a dozen crabs. We're from New Jersey, where you clean them before you eat them. He cleaned them right at the dock and iced them before he brought them home. Here's what they look like when they're cleaned, iced and ready to be cooked:

In order to cook crabs properly, you need a crab steamer. It's a big pot with a steamer insert.
The crabs are fresh but dead, so you can easily pick them up and put them in the pot. Be sure the water is boiling briskly before the crabs go in; you want lots of steam.
Sprinkle the crabs with Old Bay or Chesapeake Bay Seasoning. Not too much, or they'll be too salty. Cover the pot and let the crabs steam for about 10 minutes. Serve them with apple cider vinegar in little cups. You can sprinkle some more seasoning in the cups like the Maryland people do or just have the the vinegar plain like New Jersey people do. If you want to know how to clean the live crabs, surf over to thecrabguy.blogspot.com and check it out. Guy has a You-Tube video on how to clean crabs. It's not his video, but the method is almost the same, except Guy doesn't cut the crabs in half. He's going to make his own video soon. Oh, and BTW, Guy is selling his adorable crab boards (see the top photo). They're not just adorable, they're also practical. Everyone who uses them loves them, because the board provides a hard surface on which to crack open the crabs. The mallet comes with the board and he may be packaging a set of board, mallet, knife and cup -- still working on it.

CRABMEAT SUPREME WITH PIMIENTO SAUCE

This recipe is from Ginger Silvers, Food Editor-Sentinel Newspapers, who has authored several cookbooks and wrote a popular food column. I haven't tried it, but it sounds really good. Let us know if you try this one by leaving a comment at the end of any post.

Crabmeat Supreme
INGREDIENTS:
1 lb. backfin crabmeat
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup chopped parsley
3/4 cup Lite mayonnaise (I like Smart Balance)
1/4 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/8 tsp. liquid hot pepper sauce
Sea salt, to taste
10 oz. pkg. frozen patty shells, thawed in package
Pimiento Sauce (see recipe below)

Remove cartilage from crabmeat. Combine crabmeat with next 6 ingredients; set aside. Roll out each patty shell into a circle. Spoon about 1/3 cup crab mixture into center of each shell; fold up ends to completely enclose crabmeat. Place patties, sealed ends down, on an ungreased baking sheet. At this point you may refrigerate puffs for 4-6 hours. Bake in 425F oven for
35-45 minutes, or til pastry is puffed and lightly browned. Serve with Pimiento Sauce.
Makes 6 puffs.

Pimiento Sauce
INGREDIENTS:
1/4 cup Smart Balance buttery spread (or butter if you prefer)
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2-1/2 cups milk (or fat-free half and half -- Land o'Lakes, only because it won't curdle)
1 tsp. finely chopped onion
1 tsp. lemon or orange zest
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/8 tsp. black pepper
1/2 cup chopped pimientos

Melt Smart Balance in a 1-quart saucepan; blend in flour. Gradually stir in milk. Add onion, zest, salt and pepper. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until thickened. Add pimientos. Serve with Crabmeat Supreme. Makes about 2-1/2 cups sauce
NOTE: This sauce may be prepared and refrigerated one day in advance. Reheat in double boiler (or microwave).

AVOCADOS STUFFED WITH CRAB AND SHRIMP

This is a very easy, healthful and delicious recipe, great for a family lunch or dinner, or for company. Serve it with crusty French bread.

Avocados Stuffed with Crab & Shrimp
INGREDIENTS:
1/2 lb. cooked Blue Crab meat, cartilage removed
1/2 lb. cooked, peeled, cleaned shrimp
3 avocados, peeled, cut lengthwise in half, seeds removed
Romaine lettuce leaves
3 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
Remoulade dressing

Lightly mix crab meat and shrimp together in small bowl. Place avocado halves on lettuce. Fill centers of avocados with crab meat and shrimp; sprinkle each serving of crab/shrimp with about 1-1/2 tsp. lime juice; drizzle remoulade dressing over top and serve with extra remoulade sauce on the side. Yield: 6 servings

Remoulade Dressing
1 cup mayonnaise or salad dressing
1/4 cup chopped sweet onion
1/4 cup chopped pickle (or sweet relish)
1 cooked egg yolk, sieved
1 Tbsp. lime juice
1 tsp. capers, chopped
1/2 tsp. Tabasco

Combine all ingredients and mix thoroughly. Chill. Makes 1-1/2 cups of dressing.

TIDEWATER INN'S CRAB IMPERIAL, ADAPTED

The legendary Tidewater Inn, Easton, Maryland, has graciously shared this recipe. Who doesn't love imperial crab? This is a great recipe for a family meal, or for company. And it's easy. (I've made a few changes to the recipe, removing the MSG, changing regular salt to sea salt, using fresh herbs, switching the green pepper to roasted red pepper and updating the mayo.) Remember to come back and leave a comment if you try this recipe.

Tidewater Inn's Crab Imperial, adapted
INGREDIENTS:
2 eggs
1/2 cup lite mayonnaise + 2 Tbsp. for topping
1-1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1-1/2 tsp. finely chopped fresh thyme
1-1/2 tsp. finely chopped fresh oregano
1 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh parsley + 3 Tbsp. for topping
1/8 tsp. dry mustard
2 lbs. backfin crabmeat, cartilage removed
few dashes liquid hot pepper sauce
2 tsp. paprika (approximate)
1/2 roasted red pepper, cut in thin strips

Preheat oven to 350F. In large bowl, mix together eggs, 1/2 cup mayo and next 6 ingredients. Gently mix in crabmeat. Coat a 2-quart casserole lightly with non-stick cooking spray and fill with crabmeat mixture. Spread a thin layer of mayo over top of crab mixture and sprinkle with paprika. Bake about 40 minutes or till mixture is hot and lightly browned. About 5 minutes before crab mixture is done cooking, remove from oven and place the roasted red pepper strips on top. Return to oven to finish cooking. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley before serving.
(Note: This would also be nice served in individual ramekins or other baking dishes.)
Yield: 8 servings

ROD 'N' REEL'S CRAB SOUP, adapted

Rod 'n' Reel Restaurant, Chesapeake Beach, Maryland, gave us this non-cream soup recipe. This is more like New York style clam chowder, with a tomato-vegetable base and sounds delicious to me. Let us know if you try it -- leave a comment at the end of any blogpost.

Rod 'n' Reel's Crab Soup, adapted
INGREDIENTS:
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 cups diced carrots
2 cups coarsely chopped onion
1-1/2 cups coarsely chopped celery
2 quarts low-sodium chicken broth
16-oz. can whole tomatoes, crushed
1 Tbsp. seafood seasoning
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce (I would try 1 tsp. first and taste before adding more)
3 cups diced potatoes
16-oz. can whole tomatoes, crushed
1 lb. crabmeat, cartilage removed

In large heavy pot, saute carrots, onion and celery in the oil over medium heat till wilted. Turn up heat and add broth, tomatoes, seasoning and 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce. When broth boils, cover pot, reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Add potatoes and cook 20 minutes more, or till they are tender. Add crabmeat and just heat through, about 5 minutes. Yield: 3-1/2 quarts

HARBOUR HOUSE CREAM OF CRAB SOUP

This recipe is from Harbour House restaurant, Annapolis, Maryland. And we all know that Maryland is famous for its crabs, crab recipes and restaurants serving crabfood. I haven't tried this one yet -- if you do, please leave a comment and let us all know how it turned out.

Harbour House Cream of Crab Soup
1/4 cup butter
1/3 cup flour
1 cup chicken broth
1/4 tsp. pepper
5 cups milk (how about Land o'Lakes fat-free half and half?)
1 lb. backfin crabmeat, cartilage removed
Salt, to taste (Possibly consider adding some ground nutmeg & cayenne pepper)


Melt butter in 3-quart heavy pot. Blend in flour and stir until smooth. Slowly stir in chicken broth and pepper and simmer for 2 minutes. Add milk and cook slowly, stirring constantly until thickened. DO NOT BOIL. Add crabmeat and salt to taste; heat through. Yield: about 10 cups