Fall salmon season is here, which means it’s also time for crabbing. As these delicious shellfish start to fill their shells with meat, they’re worth not only targeting, themselves, but tossing a couple pots out before you get to salmon trolling, and picking them up on the way in.
Fresh Dungeness crab has a flavor like no other seafood. Delicate and creamy with the essence of the sea, it almost seems shameful to eat it any other way than straight from the shell. However, there are ingredients that pair so well with crab that all of them are elevated when mixed together.
While this crab salsa recipe is almost entirely crab, the bits of other ingredients added will result in a fresh dish with multi-layered complexity. Please note that the addition of cilantro is optional. If you aren’t a fan of cilantro, you won’t want
it in your crab salsa. I like splitting the recipe and adding cilantro to half of it, as neither my dad or father-in-law are fans of the herb. After all, you must keep the dad’s happy!
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked, shelled crab meat
- 1/2 cup diced cucumber
- 2 tablespoons diced sweet bell pepper
- 2 tablespoons diced tomato
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- Zest of one lime
- 1 tablespoon diced chives or scallions
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped cilantro, optional
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon white sugar • Salt & fresh ground black pepper to taste
Directions
In a medium bowl combine cucumber, bell pepper, tomato, lime juice, lime zest, chives or scallions, cilantro (optional), olive oil and white sugar until sugar is dissolved. Gently fold-in crab meat and lightly season with salt and pepper as desired. Serve immediately with chips of choice or keep refrigerated until ready to eat.
Crab Care Tip
Before cooking whole crabs whole, make sure they are alive by poking an eye or antennae. These sensitive organs should move when stimulated. If they appear sluggish, crabs can be renewed by quickly submerging them in cold saltwater. Once the whole crab has been cooked, pry off the carapace, break the crab in half and thoroughly clean it. Make sure to remove the gills and
all visceral mass, where biotoxins are harbored.
Note: For signed copies of Tiffany’s popular book, Cooking Seafood, and other best-selling titles, visit www.tiffanyhaugen.com.
