Recipe 58: Marinated Blue Crab Claws

I try to follow each recipe exactly in this cookbook, one for the true recipe experience and two, because you never know when the substitution creates a problem or if its just the recipe. However, I did not have a crab-boil, its winter, and I've never really cared for shelling crab meat, though I do love to eat it fresh. Also, the crab at Meijer looked like it had been frozen too long. I must confess, I cheated and bought a 1 lb. can of premium wild-caught crab. I'm sure the fresh would have been better, so I'll have to try it again during crab season.

Being marinated, this takes a standard approach of olive oil and red wine vinegar, add in some fresh squeezed lemon, chopped green onions, minced shallot, minced celery, chopped fresh parsley leaves, chopped fresh basil leaves, minced garlic, Worcestershire sauce, chopped fresh oregano leaves, thinly sliced pimento stuffed green olives, salt, fresh ground black pepper a dash or two of hot pepper sauce, and 1 # cooked blue-crab claws, outer shells removed.

I've developed a new habit cooking with Emeril-I buy at least one lemon every week, often two or three. He squeezes lemon into everything he can. Though I did put the lemon in the oven to warm it up and nearly forgot to add it. I thought the parsley was going to kick my butt when I was chopping it. I like stiffer leaved plants, I think. Of course I may have been tired of chopping and mincing when I got to the parsley.

The instructions are simple, and this recipe is quick, excluding time to boil the crab legs. Chop, mince, and squeeze, mix everything but the crab with a whisk. Add the crab, let the party get warmed up for six hours, and when the party goers get sleepy, you find they're a little stronger than you expected, but good. This is not one of my top ten Emeril recipes, but I will try it again, with fresh crab when it warms up. I did try it on cracked wheat bread for a sandwich for dinner, and found that worked really well. I may turn the rest into crab cakes. I just have to make the bread crumbs for this. I honestly think this will make a very good crab cake recipe, its just a little strong without the bread, even on crackers as the appetizer or hors d'oeuvre its supposed to be.

I will make this recipe again to try it with fresh crab instead of canned, and maybe I'll research the crab-boil idea and invite some friends for this as well. I'm not sure this will go onto the make it often list, though it was quick and easy, but I know the shelling of crab claws is generally not so rapid. Now onto some more sweet potatoes;-)