108 M AY 2019
Buttery Crab Casseroles
ACTIVE 1 HR 45 MIN; TOTAL 2 HR 30 MIN
SERVES 4
The simple seasonings in this recipe from
the Irish coast highlight the crab’s sweet-
ness rather than overpower it. Brown
crabs, typical in Ireland’s coastal waters,
can be substituted with fresh Dungeness
crabs, prized for their high yield—look for
them at the fish counter at your local gro-
cery store. Serve these casseroles with a
tossed salad for a complete meal.
3 (2-lb.) live brown or Dungeness crabs,
rinsed
(^1) / (^2) cup (4 oz.) plus 1 Tbsp. unsalted pure
Irish butter, divided
(^1) / 2 cup finely chopped scallions (from 3
scallions)
(^1) / 2 cup finely chopped celery leaves
(from 1 celery stalk)
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
(^3) / (^4) tsp. fine sea salt, divided
(^1) / 4 tsp. freshly ground white pepper
Pinch of cayenne pepper
11 / 2 cups fresh breadcrumbs
- Fit a steamer basket inside a large pot.
Fill pot with water until water line is just
below bottom of steamer basket. Bring
to a rapid boil over high. Place crabs in
steamer basket. Cover pot, and reduce
heat to medium-high; steam crabs 18
minutes. Meanwhile, fill a large bowl with
i c e w a te r. - Remove steamed crabs from pot, and
plunge into ice water; let stand 10 min-
utes. Working with 1 crab at a time,
remove from ice water. Remove crabmeat
from shells; transfer crabmeat to a bowl,
and discard crab shells. (Crabmeat
should yield about 1 pound.) - Preheat oven to 350°F. Melt^1 / 2 cup but-
ter in a medium skillet over medium. Add
scallions and celery leaves; cook, stirring
occasionally, until tender, 3 to 5 minutes.
Using a slotted spoon, remove mixture
from skillet; transfer to a plate. Add
lemon juice,^1 / 2 teaspoon salt, white pep-
per, and cayenne pepper to skillet. Bring
to a simmer over medium-high; cook,
undisturbed, until slightly reduced, about
2 minutes. Add crabmeat; cook, stirring
gently, until warmed through, about 2
minutes. Remove from heat. Transfer
crabmeat mixture to 4 (12-ounce) baking
dishes or 1 (2-quart) baking dish; sprinkle
with scallion mixture. - Melt remaining 1 tablespoon butter in
skillet over medium. Add breadcrumbs
and remaining^1 / 4 teaspoon salt; cook,
stirring often, until breadcrumbs are well
coated with butter and slightly browned,
4 to 5 minutes. Sprinkle breadcrumbs
over crabmeat mixture. - Transfer baking dishes to preheated
oven; bake until crab casseroles just
begin to bubble around edges, about 20
minutes. Serve hot with tossed salad.
—ROBB WALSH
BEER Irish red ale: Murphy’s Irish Red
Grillin
,
and
Chillin
,
Chile-Glazed Shrimp with
Herbs and Rice Noodles
PHOTO P. 78
ACTIVE 20 MIN; TOTAL 50 MIN; SERVES 4
Slowly grilling head-on shrimp while bast-
ing with a garlic- and chile-infused fish
sauce yields tender, juicy shrimp. Served
as a main course on a salad of rice noo-
dles and herbs, they are also fun as an
appetizer served with Salt-and-Pepper
Limes (recipe at right) for squeezing.
3 Tbsp. canola oil
2 large garlic cloves, minced (about 1
Tbsp.)
1 Tbsp. granulated sugar
1 Tbsp. sambal oelek
1 Tbsp. fish sauce (such as Red Boat)
(^1) / 2 tsp. chili powder
(^1) / (^2) tsp. black pepper
1 lb. unpeeled head-on, tail-on raw
large wild Gulf shrimp
4 cups cooked rice vermicelli noodles
1 (11-oz.) cucumber, thinly sliced
(about 2 cups)
5 scallions, thinly sliced (about 1 cup)
(^1) / 2 cup chopped fresh rau ram
(Vietnamese coriander) or cilantro
8 thin lime slices (from 1 lime)
4 green Thai chiles, thinly sliced
Nuoc Cham (recipe follows)
Salt-and-Pepper Limes (recipe
follows)
- Open bottom vent of a charcoal grill
completely. Light charcoal chimney
starter filled with briquettes. When bri-
quettes are covered with gray ash, pour
them onto bottom grate of grill, and push
to one side of grill. Adjust vents as needed
to maintain an internal temperature of
450°F to 500°F. - While grill preheats, stir together oil,
garlic, sugar, sambal oelek, fish sauce,
chili powder, and black pepper in a small
bowl. Set aside. - Thread shrimp lengthwise (from head
through tail) onto 6 (12-inch) skewers
(about 2 shrimp per skewer). Place skew-
ers on unoiled grates over side of grill
without coals. Grill, uncovered, 1 minute;
turn skewers, and brush with sambal
oelek mixture. Grill, turning and brushing
skewers with mixture every 1 to 2 min-
utes, until shrimp are cooked through
and shells are pink and crisp, about 4