It’s Friday night, pondering what to serve, with minimal effort, Snow Crab comes to mind. Steamed and succulent snow crab is such a crowd pleaser. So very easy to prepare and plate. The bright pink-red shells give promise to the sweetness that needs only clarified butter as an accent. It’s still in season, albeit nearing the end [January 15 through March].
Serve the crab with lemon wedges and clarified butter. Don’t settle for garden-variety butter in the dairy section. Rather, choose an Irish
butter, Plugra or a European-style butter, which have a higher fat content, making the butter sweeter and creamier and a really decadent dipping sauce.
The crab is the star and needs little else as accompaniment. However, a side could be roasted new potatoes, sprinkled with parsley and drizzled with butter. A salad could be a simple spinach salad with thin sliced red onion and a evoo and balsamic vinaigrette.
And what to pair with this sumptuous repast? We suggest pairing with a Chateau Ste Michelle Riesling. Most Rieslings are fruit forward and tend to be on the sweeter side, however, Chateau Ste Michelle Riesling is a medium sweet with well balance fruits, pear, melon and tangerine. The acidity nicely compliments the rich sweetness of the crab.
Serving is a simple placing of leg-sets on a platter. Place settings are appointed with crab crackers, side bowls for shells and plenty of napkins. Cloth is always preferred, excepting when butter and shell-cracking is involved. There is a point in the dining experience, where conversation wanes, as coaxing, dipping and savouring the tender crab becomes a singular focus.
To steam the crab: use a two-piece pasta pot with the strainer portion as a steamer.
Bring 3-4 cups water to boil. Keep water below the level of the strainer portion of the pot, the crab is steamed, not boiled. Cover with a lid and steam 5-7 minutes and voila, perfection!
Note: some recipes suggest using Old Bay Seasoning in the water, go pure, nothing compares to the crabs legs natural sweet and rich flavour.
Entertaining Thoughts for Your Friday evening. xoxo
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