SOURCE: DIANA KENNEDY. THE CUISINES OF MEXICO.
Ingredients
2 tablespoons and 1/2 teaspoon/37 grams salt
8 live large blue crabs
1/2 cup/120 mL olive oil
1 tablespoon/8 grams finely chopped garlic
1 cup/52 grams finely chopped onions
12 ounces/340 grams tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and finely chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons/6 grams finely chopped flat-leaf parsley, preferably picked fresh on the same day for best results
2 1/2 tablespoons/17 grams finely chopped Serrano chile peppers
1 1/2 tablespoons/ grams well-drained capers
6 tablespoons/36 grams toasted bread crumbs, preferably homemade
Specific Equipment
Deep-bottomed saucepan equipped with a lid
Colander
Spoon
Bowl
Skillet OR sauté pan
Baking tray lined with parchment paper
Serves 6
Instructions
1. Pour water into the deep-bottomed saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Stir in 2 tablespoons/34 grams salt until completely dissolved. Drop in the crabs and cover the saucepan with its lid. Return to a boil and cook for 3 minutes or until the back shells of the crabs have turned bright red. Remove the crabs from the saucepan and drain them thoroughly on a colander. Cool the crabs to room temperature.
2. Turn each crab over its back shells and remove the heart-shaped breastplate. Pry off the back shell of the crab carefully, keeping it intact. Scrape out the tomalley and eggs from the shell and crab with a spoon and set them aside in a bowl. Pick out and collect the crabmeat and set them aside in the same bowl.
3. Reserve 6 of the crab shells and scrub the inside clean. Rinse the shells with water and set aside to dry.
4. Preheat oven to 350°C/175°C.
5. Heat 1/4 cup/60 mL olive oil in a skillet or sauté pan set over medium heat. Sauté in the garlic and onions for 5 to 7 minutes or until soft and golden. Sauté in the tomatoes, parsley, Serrano chiles and capers for 5 to 8 minutes; constantly stirring, or until the mixture is well-blended and almost dry. Season with 1/2 teaspoon/3 grams salt and stir in the crabmeat, tomalley, and eggs until well-blended. Remove the skillet or sauté pan from heat and set aside.
6. Fill the crab shells with the crabmeat mixture. Sprinkle over 1 tablespoon/6 grams breadcrumbs and drizzle over 1/2 tablespoon/7 mL olive oil on each crab shell. Place each crab shell on a baking tray lined with parchment paper.
7. Broil the crabs inside the oven for 6 to 8 minutes or until the stuffing has deeply browned. Remove the baking tray from the oven and transfer the stuffing crabs on a serving platter.
