This recipe is so indulgent, yet so simple. The butter can be prepared in advance and the crabs cook in 12 minutes. There were a few squeamish moments, and while they might be confronting, they do remind you where your food comes from. Share this meal with someone appreciates crab; eating a crab is messy, time consuming and not for the faint-hearted. Ingersoll’s recipe suggests two crabs would feed four – but I find it such a fiddly business that one each makes much more sense. You will need a nut cracker and a couple of those long, skinny seafood forks.
For the lime butter –
125 g butter
3 limes
½ bunch coriander
3 large red chillies (keep the seeds in if you like things hot)
A drizzle of honey
Salt and ground black pepper
Soften the butter slightly and whisk it in a bowl until white and creamy.
Grate the lime peel, then squeeze the limes so you get all the juice. Chop all of the coriander except for the root. Remove the seeds and membrane from the chilli, then dice the flesh. Add all of the ingredients to the bowl with the butter and keep mixing together until really well incorporated (it takes a little while for the lime juice to become one with the butter). Taste for seasoning.
I had quite a bit of this lime butter left over. I plan to toss it through some asparagus or beans. It would also be lovely with any other seafood.
For the crab –
2×600 – 800g whole live crabs – either mud or blue swimmer crabs (I used mud crabs)
Sea water (if you happen to have it on hand) or water seasoned really well with mineral salts or good sea salt
Bring a large pot of water to a rapid boil – you need a large pot or the water temperature will drop too much when you add the crabs.
I (Jared) prefers to kill the crab by using a heavy knife a keen eye and a firm hand – drive the tip of your knife into the top of the head, just above and in between the eyes, then cut all the way through in one swift movement; this will kill the crab instantly (I put mine in the freezer for half an hour first, a tip from Sean Moran who believes it anesthetises them, I just could not handle their little claws moving as I was trying to drive a knife through them. I popped them in the freezer, then killed them as above)
Cook the crab in the pot of rapidly boiling water for 12 minutes, then take out of the pot and rest for 6 minutes before serving.
For serving
Coriander leaves
When you are ready to serve, remove the head by taking a firm grip on the crab, and with your other hand lift the side of the head up and away (I was a little perplexed about this description, but basically you have to pull away all the head area under the front of the shell). Remove the gills (sometimes known as dead man’s fingers and for good reason – they are pretty disgusting); these are the brown grey strips that lay on either side of the head. Using the back of a heavy knife or hammer, crack the shell, but keep it intact, then place the crab in a large bowl and toss in some of the butter – allow the flavours to settle in. Sprinkle with coriander and serve while still hot with a dish of sea salt and the rest of the butter in a little pot.
The first time I opened this cookbook I discovered dozens of recipes I wanted to cook - always a good sign. I have worked my way through a few of them (they have all worked well), and still have quite a few on my wish list (including a delicious-looking salted, spiced and roasted whole duck). The recipes are seasonal, rustic and carefully constructed. They range from a romantic dinner for two to a party of 20.