Crabs Stuffed with Pink Berries Recipe

Serves/Makes: 4

Ingredients:

• 4 live (1 1/2 to 1 3/4-pound / 700 to 800-g each) crabs
• 1 bouquet garni (thyme, bay leaf, celery stalk)
• 1 whole small bell pepper
• 6 3/4 ounces (210 mL) milk or coconut milk
• 2 tablespoons (30 mL) oil
• 4 green onions (white and green parts), finely chopped
• 1 small bell pepper, finely chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, finely minced
• 5 parsley sprigs, snipped
• Very small pinch curry powder
• Very small pinch ground ginger
• Very small pinch saffron (optional)
• 1 fresh thyme sprig, crumbled
• Salt
• 1/4 cup (60 mL) breadcrumbs or freshly grated coconut
• Juice and grated rind of 1 lime
• 1 tablespoon (15 mL) pink berries

How to cook:

• Fill a large casserole with salted water add bouquet garni and whole bell pepper.
• Scrub and rinse crabs add to boiling mixture.
• Bring back to a boil, lower heat and slowly boil crabs for 7 to 8 minutes.
• Immediately drain crabs.
• Soak white breadcrumbs in milk or coconut milk.
• Prepare each crab to recuperate the meat:
  • Remove, from as near as possible to the body, crab’s claws and legs by twisting them break-up claws and legs and remove any meat, using one of the claws.
  • There is, underneath the body where claws come out, a joint that goes all around underneath the body.
  • Carefully separate upper part of shell from underneath by holding firmly the shell with your left hand all along the joint and lifting the underneath section with the blade of a knife.
  • Remove meat from shell reserve both, meat and shell.
  • Throw away abdominal pouch, behind the mouth of the crab.
  • Remove smooth and creamy meat.
  • Using a sharp knife, half the chest using a shellfish fork cavities.
  • Remove and throw away gills from sides.
  • Carefully wash and dry shells.
• With your fingers, fray all of crab meat, removing any remaining cartilage or shell.
• Into a fry pan, preheat oil brown together chopped green onions and bell pepper, minced garlic, snipped parsley, curry powder, ground ginger, saffron (if desired) and freshly crumbled thyme sprig, for a few minutes.
• Mix in crab meat and slightly drained soaked white breadcrumbs.
• Salt to taste and pour in lime juice mix in grated lime rind and cook, over low heat, stirring, for approximately 1 minute, until stuffing is smooth, not dense.
• Fill each washed and dried crab shells with crab meat stuffing.
• Sprinkle with breadcrumbs or grated coconut, then with pink berries.
• Broil serve immediately, really hot.

Express Version Preparation:

• Instead of using fresh crabs, use good quality natural crab or frozen crab legs, shelled.
• Proceed as above, once the meat is thawed, well drained, frayed and any cartilage removed.
• Pour mixture into baking shells and broil.
• It will be much faster but you must know that crab meat is quite different in shape and in taste from one part of the bodie or the other.
• On top are the large pieces from claws right underneath is the smooth and creamy meat from the abdomen lower to the left, of a different color, is some delicious meat, containing the liver.
• Broil serve immediately, really hot.

Notes:
As a light main course, serve these crabs along with some ‘yellow’ rice (saffron or curcuma flavored boiled long grain rice). For a warm, exotic atmosphere, first serve a drink, such as a punch, a Daiquiri or a cocktail from the Islands, along with mini-black blood-pudding pieces, frozen bought shrimp or Creole fried fish fritters or ready-to-serve shrimps.

Comments:
Bouquet garni – Sprigs and/or leaves of herbs – usually bay leaves, parsley, and thyme – either tied together or placed in a cheesecloth bag. Bouquet garni is used to flavor broth, soups, and stews.

This recipe for Crabs Stuffed with Pink Berries serves/makes: 4

Main Ingredient: Crab
Preparation Method: Pan Fried/Sauteed
Cuisine: French