Dungeness Crab With Crème Fraîche Sauce

Dungeness Crab With Crème Fraîche Sauce

Ingredients (Makes 1 Litre)

• 1 large Dungeness crab, live
• 1 bay leaf
• juice of 1 lemon
• 500 mL mirepoix (carrot, celery, onion)
• 3-5 peppercorns, freshly cracked
• 250 mL crème fraîche (recipe follows) or sour cream
• 1 shallot, minced
• 125 mL finely grated celery root (celeriac)
• 50 mL chopped chervil or parsley
• 50 mL fresh chopped chives
• 250 mL lemon aioli (recipe follows)
• 50 mL tobiko (Flying Fish roe; optional)
• 30 mL champagne or good white wine vinegar
• salt & freshly ground pepper, to taste

Crème Fraîche

• 45 mL buttermilk
• 500 mL heavy (35%) cream

Lemon Aioli

• 2-3 cloves of garlic
• 2 lemons, juice and zest
• 2 egg yolks
• 500 mL oil (olive or canola or a 40/60 blend)
• 15 mL vinegar (cider or champagne)

Crab

Cook Dungeness crab in boiling salted water with bay leaf, lemon juice, mirepoix and peppercorns for 8 to 10 minutes. Remove carefully and transfer to ice water. Discard cooking liquid.

To clean crab, remove the upper shell and break the crab in half lengthwise. Remove any visceral cavity and wash under cold running water. Remove meat carefully from the body using a crab pick or your fingers. Discard any thin shell membrane. Crack the legs gently with the back of a heavy knife, mallet or crackers. Remove meat as before. If possible, keep the crab and meat on ice as it's shelled.

In a mixing bowl, gently break up the crabmeat and ensure that all pieces of shell are removed. Leave some pieces of crabmeat chunky.

Add the remaining ingredients to the crabmeat and mix well. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve as a sauce with your favorite BC fish, as a dip with potato chips and spicy greens such as watercress or arugula or with your favorite crudités. When cleaned, the upper crab shell can make an attractive serving bowl.

Crème Fraîche

In a bowl, mix together the ingredients, set aside overnight in an airtight container at room temperature and then refrigerate until cool for about 12 hours or until set.

Lemon Aioli

In a food processor, purée garlic, lemon & egg yolks briefly.

While running on low speed, add a steady stream of oil until incorporated.

Add vinegar and thin with cold water if necessary.

Adjust seasoning to taste.

Courtesy of Jeff Keenliside Of Café Brio (Victoria, BC)