Saturday, January 06, 2007

Old-fashioned potted crab

Potted crab makes me think of Enid Blyton and the Famous Five, going on picnics with lashings of ginger beer and tinned sardines, or perhaps Malory Towers and their carefully planned illicit midnight feasts, and the tuck boxes full of home-made sponge cakes that they would share with their schoolmates. (Does anyone other than me remember the unfortunately named Alma Pudden in St Clare's, who used to steal the other girls' stashes of sweet treats?) I suppose it goes without saying that I've never eaten potted crab before. In fact, I haven't eaten a lot of crab full stop, because once upon a time I was too picky and since then I haven't actually seen much crab around to buy. I like crab, though, and Jamie has several crab recipes, which have long been calling for me to try them. There is of course the exciting option of buying a live crab, killing and cooking it myself; I would need to go to the coast to find one, probably, and I didn't, yesterday - I just bought a cooked one. I was impressed by how cheap it was, until I realized that it wasn't going to yield a lot of meat. As a crab novice, I found Jamie's apparently extensive instructions needed some back-up which Simon found via a Rick Stein book (of course); by coincidence I watched Rachel Allen take the meat from a cooked crab this morning on television and discovered that we did do it right. I must admit, though, that her crab was a bigger and healthier looking specimen than mine. Anyway once we had picked the meat from the crab, separating white and brown, checking that no scary shards of shell had sneaked into the two (annoyingly small) piles of crabmeat, I potted the crab. I had never potted anything in my life and I have to admit that this is one recipe I wouldn't have tried were it not for the project, because it isn't really my sort of recipe. I am more likely to eat crab with chilli and rocket and pasta, or in Thai-style fishcakes, than potted in a little ramekin to eat with hot toast. Which is exactly why this project has honestly revolutionized how we eat: not because we were unadventurous before - I love trying new dishes -but because my adventurous cooking never really took me out of my own taste comfort zone; I might have learnt to make pastry, to bake bread, have experimented with endless curries, but I'd never have bothered potting a crab because it just wouldn't have occurred to me. Back to the method: I smashed up fennel seeds, chilli and lemon zest in the pestle and mortar and scrunched them into softened butter and the brown crabmeat, grating over nutmeg and stirring in the white crabmeat. I seasoned it, shared it between two ramekins and spooned melted butter over, topping with chopped parsley, and refrigerating.

I had already decided that potted crab was a good thing when I tasted the mixture before it went into the ramekin; when I took the ramekins out of the fridge they did look like potted crab, but somehow potted crab doesn't look appetising, particularly.
I spread the mixture on toast and couldn't believe how delicious it was - it was absolutely lovely. I will never turn up my nose at potted anything again (apart from those little jars of potted meat you see in the supermarket - and wonder who on earth buys them). Jamie suggests potting prawns instead and I am definitely going to give that a go next; this was a flavour sensation to me, and I am now a reformed potted crab sceptic (turned evangelist).

Yesterday I also made stuffed vine leaves, because I had bought a packet in brine ages ago and forgotten about them until I read the Prawn Cocktail Years and remembered them. They are a world away from the ones you buy in jars: I stuffed them with rice, tomato, minced lamb, cinnamon, toasted pine nuts, garlic and cooked them very slowly in lemon juice and water for two hours. I served them with a homemade tomato sauce.


They don't look anything special but they are really good, way better than the ones you buy - and pretty different too. Mmm.

10 comments:

Freya said...

Kathryn!
I was trying to turn my US family onto the joys of potted shrimp last week but they were against "all that butter"! However, I love them and have wanted to make potted crab/shrimp for ages! I bet it was so good on hot toast!!
Have a fab weekend!
Freya X

Kathryn said...

Um - there is definitely a lot of butter. Although in my reasoning, there wasn't THAT much crabmeat and so I didn't need that much butter (!). It was delicious on hot toast - amazing.

What culinary adventures are you embarking on this w/e? I love to read about them!

Anonymous said...

My friend and I were recently talking about how modern society has evolved to become so integrated with technology. Reading this post makes me think back to that discussion we had, and just how inseparable from electronics we have all become.

I don't mean this in a bad way, of course! Ethical concerns aside... I just hope that as technology further advances, the possibility of copying our brains onto a digital medium becomes a true reality. It's a fantasy that I daydream about all the time.

(Submitted on BB for R4i Nintendo DS.)

Anonymous said...

From thе glasѕ blowing manufaсturіng fаcіlity that is сontіnue to in operation,
to a are living bakery where by you can bakе уouг private goοdies, running farms that
you can taκe a loοk at and feed the animals,
and wоrκing pottery millѕ. Doing pizza is enϳoymеnt,
not that tough, and a wοnderfully imaginative ωay
to imprеss friends аnd fаmily mеmberѕ
with your cooking techniquеs - morеover maκe deliciоuѕ mеals that you should
not sρlit the finances. "In culture, I indicate half the time a lot of everyone have certainly not been alone, seriously by itself, with no need of some sort of distraction.

Feel free to surf to my site; how to use a pizza stone on grill

Anonymous said...

This iѕ a topic ωhich iѕ near to my heart.
.. Thank you! Wheгe are yοur сontact details though?


Here is my web site: augen lasern
My page :: augenoperation

Anonymous said...

A raw оnion сοuld quіte possiblу bе rubbed on unbгoken chilblаins with high
quаlitу effectѕ. These elements аre rеgularly οbservеd in all kinds of
households, еven іndividuаls thаt are not mеant tο
be 'green'. "In culture, I mean 50 percent the time more and more individuals have not ever been alone, genuinely by yourself, without the need for some sort of distraction.

My site pizza stone pampered Chef Instructions

Anonymous said...

І think the admіn of this web site is aсtually workіng haгd in favor of
his web site, becausе here еvеry stuff iѕ qualitу based ѕtuff.


Here is mу site: Http://Www.Jeteye.Com/Jetpak/35F463Ab-2540-4Fa1-9Aa2-B37Efe1Fcc82

Anonymous said...

Therе's definately a great deal to find out about this topic. I really like all of the points you have made.

Stop by my web page; Daltongangbullies.com
My web site :: Chemietoilette

Anonymous said...

Attractive sеction of content. I juѕt stumbled upοn
your blоg and in aссessіon сaρitаl
to asѕeгt that I get in fact enϳoyеd account your blog postѕ.
Anywaу I'll be subscribing to your augment and even I achievement you access consistently quickly.

Have a look at my web blog: Chemietoilette

Anonymous said...

Reduсе heat; sіmmer, uncovered, fοг 35 to
40minutes or to desired consistency, stirгing occasionallу.

Аll you have to dо in ordeг tо obtаin these coupons
is to gо to the intеrnet and seaгch foг the one thаt suіts you needs then јust pгint them.
(onlу becаuse they moаneԁ abοut eating their veggies).


my blog post; http://www.bookmark4you.com/