Granny's Basque Stuffed Crabs
1 x Live hard-shelled crab (or 1/4 pound canned
crab)
1/2 med Onion chopped
1/2 x Garlic clove chopped
1 sm Tomato peeled and chopped
1/4 tsp Paprika
2 tbl Olive oil
1/4 cup Cognac
1 tbl Butter
2 tbl Dry bread crumbs
Method :
Hard-shelled crab is cooked like lobster: plunged live into boiling salted water
to cover. Use sea water if available; if not, add a little green vegetable to
the cooking water. Boil crab 15 minutes. Remove and allow to cool.
To clean, break off claws, remove back, and scrape out all spongy parts
underneath. Cut out small apron-shaped section on underside of crab. Crack legs
and scrape out meat. Remove meat from shell; drain out and save any juice. The
foregoing can be done in advance of cooking if more convenient.
Heat olive oil, fry chopped onion; when onion turns golden, brown garlic clove.
Add tomato. Off the fire, stir in paprika. Return to fire. Pour in cognac and
let alcohol evaporate. Add juice from crab shell (or can) and crabmeat. Fill
crab shell with mixture, dot with butter, sprinkle with bread crumbs, and put in
top part of hot oven for about 10 minutes or until browned. If you have not used
live crab, substitute individual ramekins or scallop shells for crab
shell.
Enthusiasm, like measles, mumps and the common cold, is highly
contagious.
- Emory Ward