Ingredients
Crab
- 6crabs, cooked
- sea or land crabs
- with their shells reserved
- or 500 g picked crab meat and 6 shells
Seasoning
- 1onion, finely chopped
- 3spring onions, finely sliced
- 1green pepper, finely chopped
- 3garlic cloves, crushed
- 2 sprigsthyme, leaves picked
- 1 tablespoonchopped parsley
- half a hot pepper, finely chopped
- 60 gbutter
To bind
- 80 gfresh breadcrumbs
- 3 tablespoonsmilk or crab stock
- juice of 1 lime
- 1 teaspoonWorcestershire sauce
- salt and black pepper
To top
- 40 gbreadcrumbs
- a little melted butter
- grated cheese, optional
Directions
- Chill the crab in the freezer for twenty minutes. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add a few sprigs of thyme if you like. Boil them for about twelve minutes. Lift them out and let them cool. Picking the meat takes real patience.
- Pull the top shell away from the body. Set those top shells aside carefully. Remove and discard the feathery gills. Pick all the white meat from the body. Crack the claws and pick them out too. Keep any orange fat from inside the shell. Spread the picked meat on a plate. Remove every single one you find. Take your time over this step. Remove any remaining membrane inside.
- Boil them for five minutes to sterilise them. Dry them thoroughly afterwards. Set them out on a baking tray. Melt the butter in a wide pan. Add the onion, spring onion and green pepper. Cook them for about six minutes until soft.
- Add the crushed garlic and the hot pepper. Cook them for one full minute. Take the pan off the heat entirely. Combining it needs a light hand. Add the picked crab meat to the pan. Add the thyme and the parsley. Add the breadcrumbs and the milk. Squeeze in the juice of the lime. Add the Worcestershire sauce as well.
- Season it with salt and black pepper. Fold everything together gently. It should be moist but not wet. Add more breadcrumbs if it is loose. Add a little more milk if it is dry. Spoon the mixture into each cleaned shell.
- Mound it up slightly above the rim. Press it down gently to hold it. Scatter the topping breadcrumbs over. Add grated cheese if you want it. Baking them takes about twenty minutes.
- Heat the oven to 190C before baking. Bake them for about twenty minutes. The tops should be golden and crisp. Put them under the grill briefly for more colour. Serving them is done hot in the shell. Set one shell down on each plate. Serve lime wedges alongside them. Unbaked filled shells keep a day refrigerated.
Technique
- Dominica makes essentially the same preparation under the name crab backs, using land crab specifically, and the two differ by island rather than by method.
- The shell is not eaten but serves as the dish the filling is baked and served in, which is where the name comes from.
- Every fragment of shell must be picked out of the meat, which is the slowest and most important part of the work.
Substitutions
- Picked crab meat from a fishmonger saves the whole cooking and picking stage.
- Scallop shells or small ramekins stand in for crab shells.
Variations
- Some cooks top them with grated cheese as well as breadcrumbs.
- A version with more hot pepper is made for those who want heat.
- Crab backs in Dominica is the same dish under a different island’s name.
History
Seasoned crab meat baked and served in the shell, a Grenadian starter that uses land or sea crabs.
Frequently asked questions
What is Crab back?
Crab back is a snack from Grenada: seasoned crab meat baked in its shell. Seasoned crab meat baked and served in the shell, a Grenadian starter that uses land or sea crabs.
How long does Crab back take to make?
Crab back takes 40 minutes of preparation and 25 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes serves 6. It is rated medium to make.
What can I substitute in Crab back?
Yes, within limits. Picked crab meat from a fishmonger saves the whole cooking and picking stage. Scallop shells or small ramekins stand in for crab shells.
What is the most important thing to get right in Crab back?
Dominica makes essentially the same preparation under the name crab backs, using land crab specifically, and the two differ by island rather than by method.
