Lemon Potted Crab Recipes

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.

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.

THE EASIEST WHOLE DUNGENESS CRAB RECIPE

Steps:

• Bring a large stockpot of water to a boil, season with 1 tablespoon kosher salt. Once the water comes to a boil, remove from heat. Immerse two of the crabs into the water for 5-10 minutes until the crabs are warmed through. Remove the crabs from the water and set aside to drain. Bring the water to another boil and repeat with remaining crabs.
• Clean the crabs while the other two crabs are warming in the hot water. Crack the legs with the back of a heavy knife. Serve on a platter with fresh dill leaves, parsley and sliced lemons and limes.
• In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Reduce the heat to low and skim the foam from the butter. Stir in the Old Bay Seasoning and the lemon juice. In a small bowl, mix the ketchup with the prepared horseradish. Serve the flavored butter and cocktail sauce alongside the crab.

CRAB & LEMON SPAGHETTI

Steps:

• Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil, feed in the spaghetti and cook for the time it says on the pack, stirring a couple of times to stop it sticking.
• Peel and finely chop the garlic; halve, seed and finely chop the chilli. Roughly chop the parsley. Open the can of crab meat and tip the contents into a sieve. Drain well.
• Heat 2 tbsp of the oil in a large frying pan, add the garlic and chilli and fry for 1 minute. Tip the crab meat into the pan with the wine, season with salt and pepper and heat through for a minute or so, stirring.
• Drain the pasta, return it to the pan and tip in the crab mixture, the last tablespoon of oil and the parsley. Toss everything together and serve.

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.

POTTED CRAB

Steps:

• Tip the crabmeat into a bowl and mix with the mayonnaise, shallot, chives, orange zest and some seasoning. Spoon the mixture into a shallow serving dish. Smooth the top over, then pop in the fridge to chill.
• Gently melt the butter and smoked paprika together. Leave the butter to cool a little, but don't let it solidify. Carefully pour the clear butter fat over the crab, leaving the milky butter residue still in the saucepan. Return to the fridge for 20-25 mins or up to a day to firm the butter up. Serve with some grilled sourdough for spreading everything over.