Crab Salad

crab salad

This summer I am taking full advantage of the freshly picked edible flowers from my parents' organic garden! Choose any greens, herbs and edible flowers that you prefer. The Romaine lettuce came from my neighbors Jim and Karen's garden. I chose several of the largest cooked green crabs and removed their meat. If you have the patience and time by all means add more crab meat. If you have enough crab meat to make crab cakes for this dish that would be even more special! Definitely add the roe if you are lucky to harvest any. These green crabs may be small in comparison to other species but they have the most succulent flesh.

Be sure the fresh flowers you use are all edible and that they have not been sprayed by pesticides. If you are unsure it is best to avoid eating them.

Crab Salad

Ingredients:

7-10 young Romaine lettuce leaves, keep whole or cut into bite size pieces
Meat and roe from 3 largest cooked green crabs
5 small shisho (purple) or perilla leaves
Petals from 1-2 chrysanthemum flowers
Petals from 1 bee balm flower
8-10 borage flowers
5-6 viola flowers
2-3 clusters of mustard flowers, break into smaller clumps
3 cilantro flower clusters
1 squash flower, tear or cut into strips
About 2-3 tsp of olive oil
About 2 tsp glaze balsamic (or balsamic vinegar reduction)

Method:

Arrange the lettuce, crab meat, shisho and flowers on the plate. Drizzle with oil and balsamic.

Scallop Crudo III

Today just seem to be a scallop crudo day at my house! It is impossible to be full by eating a single scallop at a time! And if I am consuming at this rate then I will definitely extend my scallop supply easily until the next scallop season! Thank you, Mike Anderson and his crew of Rimrack Fish for the fresh-off-the-boat sea scallops!

Today I also feel a bit daring to share this abstract piece with you. Don't let the pink liquid scare you. It is from a little of the freshly squeezed blood orange juice! 😀

scallop crudo III

scallop crudo III

Scallop Crudo III

Ingredients:

7 thinly sliced English cucumber circles
1 large sea scallop, tough muscle removed and discarded, thinly sliced
5 thinly sliced red onion, soaked in cold water, squeezed out the liquid prior to using
Meat from 1-2 cooked Salted Green Crabs (Ba Khia), depending on your preference
Several small pinches of dried lime, lemon, blood orange zest
Several small pinches of finely chopped fresh cilantro
Several small pinches of dried red hot chili peppers
A very small pinch of sea salt
A drizzle of freshly squeezed blood orange juice
A drizzle of extra virgin olive oil

Method:

Use your imagination and creativity to arrange the ingredients or as per photo. Arrange the cucumber slices in a circle on a plate. Arrange the slices of scallop between the cucumber slices. Use the ends of the scallop slices for the center to add height. Arrange the onion around the center piece. Scatter the crab meat, zest, cilantro, peppers and sea salt on top. Lastly drizzle the entire plate with juice and oil.

Scallop Crudo II

Just one large scallop is enough to create a beautiful and delicious appetizer that will make your family and friends craving for more! Here is another scallop crudo. This time I added a tiny pinch of sea salt scattered over the outer edges of the scallop slices and a light drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. 

If you would like to have some fresh-off-the-boat fresh sea scallops you can visit Rimrack Fish to inquire about their next scallop season! You may contact Enna Chocolate to purchase your chocolate nibs and other tasty chocolate treats from around the world!

scallop crudo II

Scallop Crudo II

Ingredients:

1 large sea scallop, tough muscle removed and discarded, sliced thinly
12 thinly sliced red onion, soaked in cold water and squeezed out the liquid prior to using
Meat from 1-2 cooked Salted Green Crab (Ba Khia), depending on your preference
A large pinch of finely pinched fresh cilantro
A large pinch of unsweetened Peruvian chocolate nibs
Several small pinches of dried lime, lemon and blood orange zest
Several small pinches of dried chili peppers
A drizzle of freshly squeezed lemon juice
A drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
A very small pinch of sea salt

Method:

Arrange the ingredients per photo or use your own creation and imagination. Place the slices of scallop and red onion on your dish. Arrange the salted crab meat, cilantro, chocolate nibs, citric zest and chili peppers. Drizzle lemon juice and oil over everything. Scatter the sea salt on the edges away from the salted crab meat.

Green Crab Sandwich

Removing meat from the green crabs is a feasible task but it is definitely not a job for everyone. Please check out my link on How to Remove the Meat and Roe from a Cooked Crab. Recently Dr. Gabriela Bradt graciously gave me nearly 300 crabs including about 40 large crabs from her lab and traps. Somehow I had a strange notion that she was delighted (if that is even the right word) that I was willing to haul her crabs away! Within 24 hours I prepared most of them and stored them in the freezer in bags for future use. For some of the larger ones I removed the meat to make 2 open-faced sandwiches. 

When we first immigrated to the United States in 1980 my mother came up with this butter sauce. I think it was my mother's way of helping our family become acclimated to the American ways of life, food and culture. I honestly believe that just about everything tastes better with fish sauce! Try it for yourself, instead of salt just add fish sauce. In my family we use this delicious sauce (sometimes with moderation and sometimes not) to dip or drizzle over our lobsters, crabs, steamers and other seafood. When my mother, brothers and I make this we never measure the ingredients. For convenience, we put all the ingredients together in a small bowl and microwave about 20-30 seconds or until the butter melts.

green crab sandwich

Green Crab Sandwich

Ingredients:

1 hamburger bun, toasted
About 2-3 oz of freshly picked green crab meat and roe
My Mother's Butter Sauce (see recipe below)
Flowers from Thai basil and shiso plants, garnish (optional)

Method:

Toast the bun. Divide the crab meat and roe, and add over each half of the bun. Drizzle with the butter sauce and garnish with flowers.

my mother's butter sauce

  
My Mother's Butter Sauce (makes about 1/4 cup)

Ingredients:

3 Tbsp salted or unsalted butter
1/2 tsp good fish sauce (nước mắm)
1/2 tsp sugar
2 Tbsp chopped scallions (preferably green parts)

Method 1:

May put everything together in a bowl and microwave for about 20-30 seconds or until the butter has melted. Stir to blend.

Method 2:

In a small sauce pan add butter, fish sauce, sugar and scallions. Cook until the butter has melted.

Helpful Hints:

*You may adjust the sauce according to your taste. You may add more scallions if you prefer more greens. Depending on the power of your microwave you may start low at 10-15 seconds and work up to melt your butter.

Oyster on the Half Shell

After making the Oyster and Crab Shooter I realized that I cannot gulp it down since the vodka is too strong for me. I have to trust my husband's opinion when he tells me they are tasty. While making oyster on the half shell I came up with the idea to make something similar but instead of vodka I used sake, a more mild alcohol. 

Anyone can shuck oysters. Initially you may be slow but over time you will improve and gain speed. I know this because I am probably the slowest shucker out there. In the last few weeks after shucking several dozen I noticed that my skills have improved greatly. I purchased these beautiful oysters at my local market. They came from Duxbury, Massachusetts.

If you are interested in learning more about the European green crabs you may find marine ecologist Dr. Emily Grason's talk educational and helpful. She gave an excellent webinar on how they impact our environment negatively and also how to properly identify them. Please check out this link, First Detector Training Webinar: Capturing invasive European green crab at the earliest stages of invasion

oyster on the half shell

oyster on the half shell

Oyster on the Half Shell

Ingredients:

Fresh oysters, washed well
Cocktail sauce (commercial or home-made)
Sriracha sauce
Green crab meat and roe (see How to Remove the Meat and Roe From a Cooked Crab link)
Sake (whichever brand you prefer to drink)

Method:

Shuck the oysters, avoid spilling the juice. Add about 1/2 teaspoon of cocktail sauce and 1-2 drops of Sriracha sauce on each oyster. Add about 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of crab meat (and roe if you have any) on top and drizzle about 1/2 tablespoon of sake over each oyster.

my husband prefers a little squeeze of lime on top

Oyster and Crab Shooter

Are you are fan of oyster shooters? If you are then perhaps you may be interested in adding a little green crab meat for something a bit more special. I am not a fan of shooters since the vodka is way too powerful for me. One lick of this potent liquor and I am buzzing! For this recipe I use about a tablespoon of Absolut vodka. However, you may use whichever brand you prefer. It is best if you can purchase fresh oysters and shuck them yourself. This way you can ensure their freshness. Layer in the ingredients however you prefer but this is how I make mine. Cheers and eat more green crabs!

oyster and crab shooter

Oyster and Crab Shooter

Ingredients:

About 1 tsp cocktail sauce (commercial or home-made)
1 whole raw oyster and its juice, freshly shucked
A dash of Sriracha sauce
About 1/2 Tbsp cooked green crab meat (see How to Remove the Meat and Roe From a Cooked Crab link)
A few drops of lime juice
About 1 Tbsp of vodka

Method:

Add 1/2 tsp of cocktail sauce in the glass. Layer with an oyster and its juice then the rest of the cocktail sauce and Sriracha sauce. Next add in the crab meat, a drizzle of lime juice and then vodka. Cheers!

Addendum:
Here is another way to make the shooters. My husband prefers this natural style. Shuck the oysters (avoid spilling the oyster liquid), add a dollop of cocktail sauce, a few drops of hot sauce, some cooked crab meat, a few squirts of lime juice and a generous drizzle of vodka over each oyster. Enjoy!

oyster shooters

Scallop and Crab Ceviche

Living near the coast has many advantages. One is having access to fresh-off-the-boat scallops from Mike Anderson, my local fisherman. I usually purchase a 5-pound bag and portion them out in 6-8 ounce bags and keep them in the freezer to enjoy until the next scallop season. These are the only scallops that I would purchase and eat raw.

Scientist/researcher Dr. Gabriela Bradt has been graciously giving me green crabs from her lab. Today I finally visited her lab. It is located in a serene and beautiful estuarine in Durham, New Hampshire. She gave me a huge cooler full of crabs from her traps and some large ones from her tanks (lab). The gracilaria (seaweed) also came from her. Thank you!

 Durham, New Hampshire

I enjoy making and eating ceviche since it is easy to make, requires almost no cooking and it is delicious. Generally, ingredients that are readily available to me typically dictate what goes in my ceviche for that day. As with all my recipes feel free to add/omit and adjust the ingredients according to your taste. I love to serve these appetizers in clear martini glasses for a prettier presentation. 

Please check out this link on How to Remove the Meat and Roe From a Cooked Crab. Two ounces of crab meat came from 7 cooked largest green crabs.

scallop and crab ceviche

Scallop and Crab Ceviche

Ingredients:

6 oz sea scallops, tough muscles removed, diced each into 4-6 pieces
2 oz cooked green crab meat (save any roe for garnish)
4 slices (about 1/4 inch thick) English cucumber, diced same size as scallop pieces
A few thin slices of red onion, soaked in cold water for about 5 minutes, squeezed out some water
Gracilaria (seaweed), blanched, drained, roughly chopped (about 1 Tbsp)
Red and green hot chili peppers (as much or as little as you prefer), deseeded, finely chopped
About 5 mint leaves, julienned (about 2 tsp)
About 5 Thai basil leaves, julienned (about 2 tsp)
About 5 blades of chive, chopped (about 2 tsp)
Juice from 1/2 a lime (about 1 1/2 Tbsp)
About 1/4 tsp crushed sea salt

Method:

Add scallops, crab meat, cucumber, onion, gracilaria, peppers, mint, basil, chives, and juice in a bowl. Season with salt and gently mix well. Divide into 2 portions. Garnish with a little roe if interested. Serve immediately.

Helpful Hints:

*Blanch the gracilaria in boiling water for about 7-10 seconds.
*If you are in or near the seacoast of New Hampshire and would like to purchase fresh-off-the-boat sea scallops please contact Rimrack Fish.

Green Crab and Bean Omelet

Removing green crab meat is one task that can test your patience and attention! The freshly harvested beans and Chinese chives came from my parents' garden. If you use a non-stick pan you can fold or flip the omelet without the aid of a spatula for a free-form presentation. This omelet is mildly seasoned for my taste. However, as with any dishes that you make, season it according to yours and your family. I eat this with piping hot steamed rice.

green crab and bean omelet

Green Crab and Bean Omelet

Ingredients:

2 tsp oil
8 oz fresh beans, steamed for 5 minutes or until tender and chopped
4 oz freshly picked green crab meat (see How to Remove the Meat and Roe From a Cooked Crab link)
4 large eggs, whisked
1/4 tsp fish sauce (nước mắm)
1/8 tsp ground black or white pepper
2 sprigs of Chinese chives, chopped

Method:

Heat a non-stick pan with oil over medium high heat. Add beans and crab meat to the hot oil and saute about a minute or until the contents are heated through. Whisk eggs, fish sauce, pepper and chives. Pour the whisked egg mixture over the beans and crab meat. Cook about a minute and fold the omelet. Cook for about another minute or until the egg is not runny.

green crab meat

freshly harvested beans

saute the beans and crab meat

free-form omelet