Cold Cracked Dungeness Crab With Crab Toasts Recipes

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine the crab meat, mayonnaise, onion, artichoke hearts and cheese, mixing well. Turn the mixture into an oven-safe shallow baking dish, such as a gratin dish. Bake until the dip is bubbly on the edges, 20 to 25 minutes. Garnish it with minced parsley. Serve with assorted breads, if desired. This recipe yields 8 to 10 servings. Each of 10 servings: 265 calories; 547 mg sodium; 23 mg cholesterol; 23 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 12 grams carbohydrates; 7 grams protein; 0.20 gram fiber.

Steps:

• Place the crab in a large pot and cover with water. Place the pot over high heat and bring to a boil. Cook for 15 minutes. Drain the crab and rinse under cold running water. Refrigerate until almost ready to serve, about 1 hour. About 30 minutes before serving, heat the oven to 350 degrees and remove the crab from the refrigerator. Pull off the legs and claws. Crack the large sections of each using the back of a heavy knife or a nutcracker. Arrange on a platter. Lift off the top shell. Using a small spoon, scoop out all of the golden butter and any ivory fat. Set these aside in a small bowl. With your fingers, pull away the slender, finger-like gills and discard them. Also pull away the thin, hard jaws from the front of the crab and the fat "spade" from the bottom. Using a heavy chef's knife, cut the body in half lengthwise, then in half again crosswise, cutting through the leg joints to expose as much meat as possible. Add these to the platter. Spoon the crab butter and the fat into a strainer and using the back of a wooden spoon or a plastic spatula, press them through the strainer into another bowl. (Be sure to scrape the bottom of the strainer; much of the crab butter collects there.) You should get about one-quarter cup of strained crab butter. Add the mayonnaise, vinegar and salt and whisk until smooth. The mixture should be about the consistency of stirred yogurt. Taste the mixture; it should be intensely crabby and slightly sharp. If necessary, squeeze in a little lemon juice. Arrange the baguette slices on a baking sheet and spoon 2 to 3 teaspoons of this crab mixture onto the center of each baguette slice. Bake until the crab mixture is puffed and golden and the edges of the baguette are beginning to brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Arrange these crab toasts on the platter around the crab pieces or on a separate platter. Careful, they're hot. Serve immediately. This recipe yields 4 servings. Each serving: 447 calories; 1,238 mg. sodium; 68 mg. cholesterol; 8 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 62 grams carbohydrates; 29 grams protein; 3.40 grams fiber.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 500°F. Melt butter with oil in heavy large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in garlic, shallot, and dried crushed red pepper. Add crabs; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon chopped thyme and 1 tablespoon chopped parsley over crabs. Stir to combine. Place skillet in oven and roast crabs until heated through, stirring once, about 12 minutes.
• Using tongs, transfer crabs to platter. Add orange juice and peel to same skillet; boil until sauce is reduced by about half, about 5 minutes. Spoon sauce over crabs. Sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon thyme and 1 tablespoon parsley and serve.