The Wine and Food Corner

As good as Roasted King Crab v1.0 is, I’m on  quest for the ultimate Roasted  Pepper Crab.  Version1.1 was not a step forward so I never posted it.  But the third try was so good I decided to not call it v1.2, and instead jump to v2.0.  With King Crab Spears at only $5.99 it’s time for you to try this new version.

Another suggestion is to serve over prepared Asian Noodles or Spaghetti so you can enjoy the wonderful

Here is the recipe:

Roasted Crab Legs v2.0

Serves 4

2 tablespoons canola oil
3-1 1/2- to 2-pound lobsters
1/2 cup dry white wine reduced in half
2 cups Black Pepper-Garlic Sauce, below (Make sauce ahead of time)
Juice of 1 lemon
2 scallions, green and white parts, cut 1/8 inch thick.

Cooked Spaghetti or Asian noodles for 4 people.

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375f
2. With a cleaver or large, heavy knife, cut the tails from the lobsters’ bodies. Twist off the claws and halve each lengthwise. Cut the tails along the joints into 4 or 5 sections.
3. Heat large oven proof pan in the oven. Then add the oil and swirl to coat the pan. Add crab legs and reduced white wine to pan, return the pan to oven and roast for 10-12 minutes.
4. Make the Black Pepper Garlic sauce with the crab legs roast. (Or make sauce ahead of time.). Gently heat the sauce to below simmer, but do not allow to boil. Add Juice of one lemon, stir, and bring just to a simmer. Do not allow the mixture to boil or the sauce may break.
5. Pour the warm sauce over the crab, return to the oven of 1 or 2 minutes. Remove crab from oven and baste the crab with the sauce.
6. (Optional: Prepare some spaghetti or Asian noodles and serve crab and sauce on pasta/noodles.)
7. Garnish with scallions and serve immediately. It’s messy but good.

Noodles: As an alternative you could first roast the crab, then remove all the crab meat and set aside, then warm the crab meat in the warmed sauce.

Black Pepper-Garlic Sauce

This makes enough sauce for 6 to 8 people.

1 tablespoon or canola oil
20 garlic cloves, thinly sliced (20 is not a typo, and it is not as garlicy tasting as you may think.)
1 cup scallions, white and green parts, cut 1/8 inch thick
1 heaping tablespoon medium-ground black pepper
2 cups dry white wine
2 cups Chicken Broth or low-sodium canned chicken broth
2 tablespoons fish sauce (nam pla) (or 1 or 2 anchovies) (don’t worry you wont taste the anchovies or fish sauce)
Juice of 1 lemon
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 1-tablespoon pieces

· Heat a wok or large sauté pan over high heat. Add the oil and swirl to coat the pan. Add the garlic and stir-fry until soft, no more than 30 seconds. Add the scallions and black pepper, and stir. Add the wine, stock, fish sauce, and lemon juice and boil until the liquid is reduced by half, about 2-4 minutes.

· Transfer the warm mixture to a blender and blend on high speed to purée. With the machine running, add the butter to form a creamy sauce. Use or store. This makes enough sauce for 6 to 8 people.