Steamed Whole Mud Crab with Aioli
December 8th, 2009. Posted by luane
Rockpool News – December 2009 – Christmas Edition
Serves 4
4kg live mud crabs
Extra virgin olive oil
Lemon juice
Sea salt and freshly ground white pepper
½ cup chopped Italian parsley
Place your mud crabs in the freezer. This puts them to sleep and is the most humane way to kill them (it will take about 2 hours). Remove the string, turn the crab upside down in the sink, pull the ‘v’ shaped flap at the back up and remove the whole shell. Remove the lungs by scraping them off with a spoon and clean the crab under running water. Snap off the flap. Chop the crab in half and clean out any remaining internal organs. Cut the crab in half again, between the claw and legs. Using the back of a knife or a meat mallet, crack the claws a couple of times from the nippers down to the elbow and what we like to call the forearm. Remove any excess cartilage from around the head.
Put each crab and top shell in a bamboo steamer basket and layer them up (it is a good idea to have a plate sitting under the baskets to catch all the liquid). Place the stacked baskets over a pot of boiling water and steam for 6 to 8 minutes, rotating the baskets so they all cook evenly. When done, the flesh will be white (check the thick part of the claw).
Add all the crab pieces to a large bowl and toss with extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, chopped parsley, salt and pepper. Serve with freshly made aioli (or the Neil Perry fresh version available at Woolworths), a finger bowl, a strong napkin and a good glass of Riesling or Champagne.
Tags: Aioli, Christmas, Mud Crab, Neil Perry, Neil Perry Fresh, Recipes, Rockpool Consulting, Rockpool News December, Rockpool Sydney, Woolworths
