English Potted Crab Recipes

POTTED CRAB

Steps:

• Mix the crabmeat, crème fraîche, horseradish, spring onions, cayenne and half the melted butter.
• Spoon into 6 x 120ml ramekins, then pour over a thin layer of melted butter. Press a few pink peppercorns into the top of each.
• Wrap the pots individually in baking paper, then cling film, then freeze for up to 1 month. (Or chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour and up to 24 hours.)
• Thaw in the fridge overnight until defrosted. Serve with lemon wedges and toasted sourdough.

LEMON POTTED CRAB

Steps:

• Combine crab, cayenne, lemon juice and zest, and season well. Pack into 8 small or 1 large ramekin. Melt the butter, then pour over until the crab is covered with a thin film. Top with a parsley leaf if you like, then cool in the fridge. (It will keep for up to 2 days in the fridge.) To prevent the butter melting, transport to your picnic in a chiller bag.

ENGLISH POTTED CRAB

Steps:

• Begin by placing the shallots, sherry and spices in a small saucepan. Bring the whole lot up to simmering point, then boil quite briskly until the liquid has reduced to about a generous dessertspoon - it should only take about 2 minutes. Next, stir in the cubes of butter and, when they are melted, turn the heat down to very low and let it all simmer as gently as possible for 15 minutes, giving it a stir from time to time. After that, remove it from the heat and leave it to cool for about half an hour. Towards the end of that time you'll need to assemble a nylon sieve fitted over a bowl and another bowl filled with ice cubes. Then pour the spicy butter through the sieve and press well to extract all the juice from the shallots. Now set the bowl over the ice and, using an electric hand whisk, whisk until the butter becomes thick and creamy without becoming hard. Now mix in the crab meat, anchovy essence, teaspoon of lemon juice and a really good seasoning of salt and freshly milled black pepper. Taste and check the seasoning - you might like to add a little extra lemon juice. Then spoon the mixture into the ramekins or a larger pot. Cover with clingfilm and chill for 3 hours. Remove the potted crab from the fridge about half an hour before serving and serve with mustard and cress, lemon quarters, perhaps a tad more cayenne pepper and fresh wholemeal bread and butter. Note: if you want to make this a day or so ahead, cover the surface with melted butter to seal off the air. To do this, melt 50 g (2 oz) of butter and divide it between the ramekins, pouring a bit over the potted crab in each one, or pour it all over the potted crab in the single large pot.

POTTED CRAB

Steps:

• Clarify butter: Melt 1 cup butter in a small, deep saucepan over low heat. Simmer 10 minutes. Remove from heat, and let stand 10 minutes. Using a spoon, skim foam from surface. Carefully pour clarified butter (the clear liquid) into a medium saucepan; discard milk solids from bottom of small pan.
• Set clarified butter over medium heat. Gently stir in crabmeat. Heat until just bubbling. Remove from heat. Gently stir in brandy, chile, salt, pepper, paprika, and nutmeg. Divide crab mixture among three 1-cup jars. Let cool completely.
• Melt remaining 1/2 cup butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Let cool completely. Pour over crab mixture in jars. Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes before serving. Serve with melba toast.

SPICY POTTED CRAB

Steps:

• The day before: Heat the butter in a pan until melted. Turn up the heat a little to separate most of the milk solids (the creamy white looking part) to start clarifying, but be careful it doesn't burn. It is clarified when there are a few nutty brown "bits" at the bottom and the remaining liquid is a clear golden colour. Cool slightly and carefully pour into a jug, leaving the nutty "bits" behind.
• Pour the clear butter back into a clean pan and tip in the chilli powder. Heat very gently for 1-2 minutes. (The butter will cloud up again.)
• Put the rest of the ingredients in a bowl and season. Carefully fold together with a spatula, trying not to break up the plump flesh. Taste and adjust seasoning.
• Loosely spoon the mixture into 20 100ml ramekins or into one larger shallow serving dish. Ensure you leave a nice level top. Now pour over the chilli clarified butter to give a thin covering. Stir the butter to distribute the spice each time before you pour. If the butter cools too much, microwave it for 30 seconds. Cover the ramekins and put in the fridge for 2 hours, or overnight, until the butter is set.
• Make the melba toast: lightly toast the bread. Cut off the crusts, then slice the bread through the centre so you have ultra thin slices. Put the toast, cut-side up, under a medium to hot grill to toast until the edges curl. Be careful as it burns easily. Cool, and store in sealed plastic bags.
• On the day- one hour ahead: Remove the potted crab from the fridge an hour before serving, but keep in a cool place. You want the mixture to be soft enough so that all the delicious buttery flavours blend into the toast. Put each ramekin or a spoonful of spicy crab on to a serving plate with a lemon wedge.
• Crisp the melba toast, if necessary, in the oven for 5 minutes. Place a couple of slices on each plate and serve.

POTTED CRAB

Steps:

• Crack crab shells with kitchen shears and extract meat. Cut enough crab into 1/2-inch pieces to measure 1/2 cup and transfer to a bowl.
• Pulse remaining crab in a food processor to finely chop (do not over process).
• Add to bowl with remaining ingredients and stir well. Season with salt to taste.
• Pack into a 1 1/2 cup crock or bowl and cover surface with plastic wrap.
• Chill at least 2 hours. Bring to room temperature before serving.

SPICED POTTED CRAB

Steps:

• Tip the crab into a bowl and check for any pieces of shell. Melt 100g of the butter and add half the chilli, the lemon juice, nutmeg and salt. Add to the crab and mix well. Pack into a bowl or jar, pressing down lightly.
• Melt the remaining butter. When it is foaming, remove from the heat. When the foam has died down, carefully skim off any scum that is on the surface with a teaspoon, then pour the clear butter over the crab, leaving behind any milky sediment. Scatter over the remaining chilli and put a bay leaf in the centre.
• Leave to set in the fridge for about 1 hr. Serve on a board with the prawns and radishes, with toasted rustic bread.

POTTED CRAB

Steps:

• Remove crabmeat from shell, discarding cartilage, then finely chop all of crabmeat and transfer to a bowl. Melt butter in a 10-inch heavy skillet over low heat and stir in remaining ingredients (except crabmeat). Cool 3 minutes, then stir in crabmeat.
• Transfer mixture to dish and tamp down. Cover surface with wax paper, then cover dish with plastic wrap and chill at least 2 hours. Bring to room temperature before serving.