roasted crab with creamy-butter sauce

In order for this dish to be worth your time you need to be using mud crab, dungeness crab or stone crab.

The serving size for this recipe is for two large crab, cut into pieces, sufficient serving for two. When increasing the serving size, always ensure every can of condense milk is exactly for half a brick of butter, and take ot forward from there.

Ingredients

Crab, obviously, cleaned and cut into pieces
Half a brick of unsalted butter
A can of evaporated milk
One onion, diced
Two cloves of garlic, crushed
Chili, thinly sliced (optional)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Start by melting your butter in a large saucepan or a large wok. Once melted, stir in your garlic and the onion and fry until translucent. Add in some chilli if you like some heat in your sauce, then pour in the evaporated milk. Let reduce for about 10-15 minutes while stirring constantly. Season well with salt and pepper.

Then stir in your pieces of crab. Stir for about a minute or two, ensuring all pieces are coated by the sauce. Finally transfer the crab and the sauce into a roasting dish and finish the cooking in a pre-heated oven at 230 °C for 15 minutes.

linguine with crab, lemon and chilli

It is quite imperative to use the freshest, best-quality crab available, to make this dish worthwhile. Otherwise you might as well chuck in a can of tuna flakes and call it a day. Adjust the heat from the chilies and the amount of lemon juice to your liking.

Serves 2
250g linguine
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1/4 cup minced shallots
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 red chilies,  seeded, sliced into thin rounds, divide into 2 portions (add more or reduce to adjust the heat)
1 1/2 tablespoons (or more) fresh lemon juice, divided
salt & freshly ground black pepper
200g crab meat, cooked

Cook the pasta according to the packet instruction until al dente. Reserve some of the pasta cooking water.
 
Meanwhile, in a large skillet, melt 1 tablespoon butter with 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add shallots and stir until just soft, 3 to 4 minutes. Add garlic and one portion of the chili and cook, stirring often, until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Add 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice and 3 tablespoons pasta cooking liquid; season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir until liquid is reduced; until almost evaporated, about 1 minute.

Stir in the pasta into skillet and add 1/2 cup reserved pasta cooking liquid. Increase heat to medium-high. Toss around the pasta and stir, until liquid is reduced and pasta becomes glossy, about 2 minutes. Add the remaining 3 tablespoons butter, 1 tablespoon oil, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, crab, half of mint, and the rest of the chili.

Stir pasta until butter melts and pasta is well coated, adding more pasta cooking liquid if dry. Serve immediately, and top with a teaspoon of lemon zest if desired.