Seafood Made Simple: Crab recipes you can make in a pinch

Crab Cocotte. Picture: Chani Anderson

Summertime in Ireland boasts such wonderful ingredients, it’s the most enjoyable time to be working in a restaurant. 

Eagerly awaiting each delivery from local growers and boats, the menu writes itself. 

Crustaceans – lobsters, crabs and langoustine - are all in season in and are ingredients I get very excited about.

The practise of fishing for crustaceans like crab and lobster is more selective than other forms. 

Low intervention fishing, it doesn’t involve dredging or trawling the seabed. 

Brown crab and spider crab are the two varieties of the species we would encounter most at Goldie. 

Both delicious, spider crab preparation is a lot more laborious than brown crab with a lower yield of meat but produces stunning deeply flavoured stocks, bisques and sauces.

Lobster is the most prized crustacean of the sea and has the price tag to go along with it, although the sweet meat of crab for me more than rivals that of its more popular cousin. 

Crab is easier to cook, easier on the pocket and just as celebratory and lavish as lobster.

Nowadays it’s very common to find cooked and picked shell-free crab meat in supermarkets, fishmongers and delis. 

However, it would be dishonest of me to tell you that it’s any close comparison to freshly cooked and agonisingly picked crab meat. 

So, if you have a spare hour or two have a go at doing this yourself, it is so rewarding.

The two recipes I’ve chosen to include this weekend will, nevertheless, produce excellent outcomes with ready-to-eat crab meat.

There are few sauces that work better with shellfish than a classic Marie Rose. This crab cocktail salad with pickled cucumber is a crowdpleaser and a great one that you can have ready in advance if you’re having friends over. 

It’s also great over hot buttered toast or as an open faced brown soda bread sandwich.

I adore recipes that work for any meal of the day; their flexibility is key to achieving great results when cooking at home. T

his Crab Cocotte with sourdough and asparagus soldiers is luxurious and uncomplicated. 

On my days off these are the types of things I love to cook - smaller dishes that don’t require me to commit my appetite or my calories to one principal meal that could disappoint.

Crab Cocktail with pickled cucumber

recipe by:Aishling Moore

This classic can also be served in a brioche bun to rival the ever-popular lobster roll.

Servings

4

Preparation Time

 50 mins

Total Time

 50 mins

Course

 Side

Ingredients

• For the cucumber: 

• 1 cucumber

• 1 tsp sea salt

• 150ml apple cider vinegar

• 150g caster sugar

• 75ml water

• For the cocktail:

• 250g picked white crab meat

• 1.5 tbsp mayonnaise

• 1 tbsp crème fraiche

• 1 tsp hot sauce

• 1 tsp Dijon mustard

• 1 tbsp ketchup

• Juice of one lemon, zest of half

• Sea salt and black pepper

• 4 baby gem lettuces

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 2 sprigs of dill

• ¼ tsp smoked paprika

Method

1. For the cucumber:

2. Finely slice the cucumber into discs. I like to use a mandolin, so the cucumber slices are wafer thin.

3. Place in a small bowl, add the sea salt and toss well. Stand for 20 minutes to draw the water out of the cucumber.

4. Place the vinegar and caster sugar in a small pot and warm to dissolve the sugar. Add the water to the pickle solution and allow to cool.

5. Rinse the cucumber slices to remove the salt and drain in a colander. ‘ Transfer to a bowl or a jar and pour over the pickle solution. Allow to marinade for 30 minutes before serving.

6. Store in the refrigerator. This pickle will keep for five days.

7. For the cocktail: 

8. Place the picked crab meat in a medium sized mixing bowl.

9. Add the mayonnaise, crème fraiche, hot sauce, mustard, ketchup, lemon zest and half the juice of one lemon and mix well.

10. Season with sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Taste and adjust to your liking.

11. To serve quarter each baby gem lettuce. Arrange on a large serving platter or dish and drizzle with the olive oil and the remaining juice of half a lemon. Dollop the dressed crab among the wedges of lettuce, add the pickled cucumber discs and a retro pinch of smoked paprika on top of the crab. Finish with a final grating of lemon zest over the top and garnish with some fresh sprigs of dill.

12. Combine all the above in a brioche bun to rival the ever-popular lobster roll.

Crab Cocotte with Sourdough & Asparagus Soldiers

recipe by:Aishling Moore

On my days off these are the types of things I love to cook - smaller dishes that don’t require me to commit my appetite or my calories to one principal meal that could disappoint.

Servings

4

Preparation Time

 20 mins

Cooking Time

 15 mins

Total Time

 35 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp butter melted

• 200g picked crab meat (a mix of brown and white)

• 120 ml cream

• 2 scallions, finely chopped

• 2 tbsp chopped chives

• 1.5 tsp Dijon mustard

• Zest of 1 lemon

• Sea salt and black pepper

• 4 eggs

• 1 bunch asparagus

• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

• 4 slices thick cut sourdough bread

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 170°C.

2. Grease four oven proof ramekins with the melted butter.

3. In a small mixing bowl combine the picked crab, 60ml of the cream, scallions, chives, mustard and lemon zest. Season with freshly cracked black pepper and sea salt.

4. Divide the crab mixture evenly between the four greased ramekins. Using the back of a spoon make a small dent in the centre of the mixture in each ramekin. Large enough to cradle the eggs.

5. Gently crack an egg into each dish. Add a tablespoon of cream over each egg and a season with some cracked black pepper.

6. Place the ramekins in a large roasting pan. Carefully pour enough boiling water into roasting pan tray so reaches about halfway up the sides of the ramekins half the way up.

7. Place in the oven and bake for 12-15 minutes until the egg white is just set and the yolk is still runny. Check after 12 minutes.

8. Whilst the cocottes are baking cook the asparagus in some salted boiling water for 3- 5 minutes. Drain well and toss in some extra virgin olive oil and sea salt. Toast the sourdough bread and cut into long strips of soldiers.

9. Delicately remove the ramekins from the baking dish using a set of kitchen tongs.

10. Serve immediately.

Crab know-how

• If you’re buying a whole crab you want to make sure it’s still alive and feels heavy for its size.
• For safety make sure its claws are restricted by elastic bands.
• To kill the crab before cooking turn it over and pull back the flap where you’ll find a small hole. Place a strong knife at this point and force it through until you hit the other side of the shell.
• I prefer to steam whole crab rather than boil. More delicate cooking produces better results.
• Steaming a 1kg whole crab should take 10-12 minutes. Once cooked plunge it into ice water for 30 seconds to stop the cooking and remove it straight away to finish cooling.
• Once cooked break off the claws and legs. Break off the tail flap, pressing firmly upwards on the body section to remove it.
• Cut the body section in half and use a crab pick to remove the white meat in the crevasses.
• Discard the gills (known as dead man’s fingers) Scoop out the brown meat and set aside.
• Using the back of a large knife crack the claws to pick the meat.