The great Basque classic: whole cooked spider crab, its meat folded into a béchamel seasoned with onion, tomato, Espelette pepper, and cognac, then broiled until bubbly and golden right in its shell.
Ingredients
- 2 pieces whole spider crab (fresh, about 800 g each)
- 2 pieces yellow onion
- 2 cloves garlic clove
- 300 g ripe tomato (or canned crushed tomatoes)
- 1 tsp Espelette pepper (ground)
- 3 tbsp cognac (or brandy)
- 100 ml dry white wine (such as Txakoli)
- 80 g unsalted butter
- 40 g all-purpose flour (T45)
- 400 ml whole milk
- 50 g fine breadcrumbs
- 1 bunch flat-leaf parsley
- 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- to taste fine salt
- to taste freshly ground black pepper
- 1 piece bay leaf
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 piece lemon (cut into wedges, for serving)
Method
- Prepare the spider crabs: cook them in a boiling court-bouillon (salted water, bay leaf, thyme) at a gentle simmer for 15 minutes. Drain and let cool until warm to the touch.
- Pick the crab meat: separate all the meat (legs, body, and any coral) and set aside. Thoroughly clean the shells (top and bottom), removing the gills and membranes; set the top shells aside for baking.
- Finely chop the onion and garlic. Concasse the tomatoes (plunge into boiling water for 30 seconds, peel, seed) and coarsely chop.
- In a large skillet or saute pan, melt 20 g of the butter with the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic, and sweat for 5 minutes until translucent without browning.
- Add the chopped tomatoes and Espelette pepper; season with salt and pepper. Cook over high heat for 8 minutes, stirring frequently, until the tomato juices have evaporated and the mixture thickens.
- Pour in the cognac and white wine, scraping the bottom of the pan to deglaze, then let reduce by half (about 2 minutes). Remove from the heat.
- Make the béchamel: in a saucepan, melt the remaining 60 g of butter over low heat. Add the flour all at once and stir with a spatula for 2 minutes until you have a blond roux with a nutty aroma.
- Gradually pour in the milk while whisking vigorously to prevent lumps. Bring to a boil, whisking constantly, then simmer over low heat for 3 minutes until the béchamel thickens and coats the back of a spoon. Season with salt and pepper, then set aside.
- Fold the béchamel into the tomato-onion mixture, then fold in the crab meat. Stir gently to avoid breaking up the crab meat too much. Adjust the seasoning to taste.
- Preheat the oven to 200 °C (convection). Arrange the cleaned shells hollow-side up on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Divide the filling evenly among the shells, packing it down lightly. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs, then chopped parsley. Dot with a few small pieces of melted butter (about 10 g).
- Bake and broil for 12 to 15 minutes: the breadcrumbs should be golden and crisp, and the filling bubbling gently. Serve immediately in the shells, accompanied by a green salad or lemon wedges.
Nutrition
Per serving
- Energy
- 439 kcal
- Protein
- 7.64 g
- Carbohydrate
- 29.56 g
- Fat
- 28.24 g
- Fibre
- 3.47 g
- Calcium
- 124.77 mg
- Iron
- 0.74 mg
- Magnesium
- 23.45 mg
