The common brown crab is fortunately still abundant in Irish waters, its meat is sweet and succulent when freshly cooked and picked. Sadly not everyone tastes it like that.   The majority taste crab meat after it has been defrosted, the result is stringy, watery and lacking in flavour.
It comes as a surprise to some to hear that crabs contain not just white meat, but brown meat also.   The white meat comes from the claws, both large and small and there are also rich pickings in the leg sockets if you have a crab pick and a little patience.
The creamy brown meat comes from the body of the crab, it is rich and delicious and greatly contributes to the flavour of potted crab, dressed crab or crab mayonnaise.
At Ballymaloe House and the Cookery School we have always had a policy of buying whole crabs rather than crab claws which are unquestionably more popular.   This discourages the unscrupulous practice of pulling the large claws off and discarding the bodies, a practice which fishermen condemn themselves and deny exists.
In reality, crabs do become entangled in the nets and claws do occasionally get broken even when they are extracted with great care.   If a crab is thrown back into the sea with one large claw intact, it can feed itself and will grow another claw within a short time.  If both claws are missing, it simply starves to death.
When buying crab –

1. Choose a crab with all the claws intact.
   
2. It should feel heavy for its size
   
3. Crabs, like other species can be male or female, the females are easy to recognize, they have a larger flap underneath.Female crabs generally contain more meat than males.   Crabs must be either alive or cooked when you buy them.  

   4.   Do not cook a dead crab.  When they die they become toxic quite quickly, its         impossible to tell the state of deterioration so do not take a risk.
 

Crabs are in season from April to September. Towards the end of the season the females tend to have an increased roe content in the body which is orangey red in colour.  This is of course edible but it is different in flavour and texture to the usual body meat.
Crab shells have lots of flavour so reboil with a fish stock to give a rich broth for a fish soup.
Here are some of my favourite crab recipes to entice you to experiment.
 How to Cook Crab
 Put the crab/s into a saucepan, cover with cold or barely lukewarm water, (use 6 ozs (175g) salt to every 2.3 litres (4 pints/10 cups water).  This sounds like an incredible amount of salt but try it: the crab will taste deliciously sweet.  Cover, bring to the boil and then simmer from there on, allowing 15 minutes for first 1 lb (450g), 10 minutes for the second and third (I’ve never come across a crab bigger than that!).  We usually pour off two-thirds of the water half way through cooking, cover and steam the crab for the remainder of the time.  As soon as it is cooked remove it from the saucepan and allow to get cold.
  To extract the crab meat from the shell and claws:
First remove the large claws and the small claws ensuring that you tug them out of the socket with a juicy bit of white meat at the end.  Hold the crab with the underside uppermost and lever out the centre portion – I do this by catching the little lip of the projecting centre shell against the edge of the table and pressing down firmly.  The Dead Man’s Fingers (lungs) usually come out with this central piece, but check in case some are left in the body and if so remove them.
 Press your thumb down over the light shell just behind the eyes so that the shell cracks slightly, and then the sac which is underneath can be removed easily and discarded.   Everything else inside the body of the crab is edible.  The claws contain the white meat and the body has lots of brown creamy meat. The soft meat varies in colour from cream to coffee to dark tan, and towards the end of the season it can contain quite a bit of bright orange coral which is stronger in flavour.  Scoop it all out and put it into a bowl.  There will also be one or two teaspoonsful of soft meat in the centre portion attached to the small claws – add that to the bowl also.  Scrub the shell and keep it aside if you need it for dressed crab.
Holding this piece in the palm of your hand scrape the morsels of white meat out from the leg sockets, first downwards and then flip it over and do it upwards.  Put white meat into a bowl.
Crack the  large claws with a hammer or weight and extract every bit of white meat from them, poke out the meat from the small claws also, using a lobster pick, skewer or even the handle of a teaspoon.
  Mix the brown and white meat together or use separately, depending on the recipe.
 Ivan Allen’s Dressed Crab
 

 

When I first came to Shanagarry crabs were considered to be a nuisance by most fishermen because they found their way into the lobster pots and were much less lucrative to sell. Tommy Sliney, the legendary Ballycotton man who sold his fish from a donkey and cart on the pier occasionally brought us a few, and it was always a cause for celebration We’d prepare all the other ingredients and then my father-in-law, Ivan Allen, would mix and taste the Dressed Crab.
  

Serves 5-6 as a main course
 

15 ozs (425g) crab meat, brown and white mixed (2 or 3 crabs should yield this)
3 -3 1/2 ozs (75-95g) soft white breadcrumbs
2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons tomato chutney or Ballymaloe Tomato Relish
1 oz (25g) butter
generous pinch of dry mustard or 1 level teaspoon French mustard
salt and freshly ground pepper
6 fl ozs (175ml) white sauce, see below
 

Topping

4 ozs (110g) buttered crumbs, see recipe below
 

Scrub the crab shells, mix all the ingredients except the buttered crumbs together, taste carefully and correct the seasoning. Fill into the shells and sprinkle with tops with the buttered crumbs.
 

Bake in a moderate oven 180C/350F/regulo 4, until heated through and brown on top (15-20 minutes approx.). Flash under the grill if necessary to crisp the crumbs.
 

Note: 1 lb (450g) cooked crab in the shell yields 6-8 ozs (170-225g) approx. crab meat depending on the time of the year.
 

White Sauce

1/2 pint (300ml) milk
a few slices of carrot
a few slices of onion
a small sprig of thyme
a small sprig of parsley
3 peppercorns
1 1/2 ozs (45g) roux,
salt and freshly ground pepper
 This is a marvelously way of making white sauce if you already have roux made. Put the cold milk into a saucepan with the carrot, onion, peppercorns, thyme and parsley. Bring to the boil, simmer for 4-5 minutes, remove from the heat and leave to infuse for ten minutes. Strain out the vegetables, bring the milk back to the boil and thicken with roux to a light coating consistency. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper, taste and correct the seasoning if necessary.

Buttered Crumbs

1 oz (25g) butter
2 ozs (50g)) soft white breadcrumbs
 Next make the buttered crumbs. Melt the butter in a pan and stir in the breadcrumbs. Remove from the heat immediately and allow to cool.
 

Spicy Crab Cakes

75g (3oz) butter
4 tbsp white wine
4 cloves of garlic, crushed
450g (1 lb) crab meat
200g (7oz) white bread crumbs
1 egg, whisked
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
3 tbsp chopped coriander
6 spring onions, chopped
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1\2 tbsp Tabasco sauce
1\2 tbsp soy sauce
 Seasoned flour
Beaten egg
breadcrumbs
 Melt the butter in a pan with the wine and garlic, add the crab meat and cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Season with salt and pepper. Combine all the other ingredients in a bowl, and add the crab meat. Shape into patties, dip in seasoned flour, beaten eggs and then in breadcrumbs. Then either deep fry, or pan fry in some olive oil.
 Chunky Tomato Salsa
 200g (7ozs) (2 or 3) ripe tomatoes, cut into 2cm (¾ inch) chunks
1 spring onion, chopped, or 1 tablespoon chopped red onion
1 tablespoon chopped coriander
salt, pepper and a pinch of sugar
1 dessertspoon (approx) lime or lemon juice
 Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and season to taste.
 Crab Mayonnaise
 Serves approx. 4-6
 Crab Mayonnaise is very versatile. It is delicious used as a filling for cucumber or tomato ring or as a stuffing for tomatoes. It also marries very well with a simple tomato salad for a first course for a dinner party.
We also serve Crab with Mayonnaise on brown bread at Ballymaloe House. This is simply a slice of buttered brown yeast bread with a lettuce leaf and a tablespoon of crab mayonnaise on top, garnished with watercress or parsley.
 5 ozs (140g) crab meat, (mixed, white and brown crabmeat)
6-8 fl ozs (175-250ml) mayonnaise, (see recipe on website)
½ tsp. finely grated onion
Garnish: Small lettuce leaves or garden cress or watercress
 Mix the crab meat with 2-3 tbsp of mayonnaise and a little finely grated onion. Taste and season if necessary.
Note: Sometimes if the crab meat is quite strong tasting we add a little French dressing as well as the Mayonnaise. If the mixture is a little bland a pinch of mustard can bring up the flavour.
 Stanley Mosse’s Potted Crab
 Many years ago we dropped in to see our friends the Mosses in Bennettsbridge, Co. Kilkenny – well inland.   They had just cooked the box of crabs they had brought fresh up from the boats at Dunmore East in Co. Waterford.
We were given a great welcome: another pair of hands to extract the juicy white and brown meat.  Stanley Mosse then made up lots of this potted crab which we ate gluttonously on hot buttered toast.
 Serves 8-10 as a starter
 5 ozs (140g) mixed brown and white cooked crab meat.
4 ozs (110g) softened butter
1-2 teaspoons finely chopped parsely
lemon juice to taste
 Mix all ingredients together in a bowl or, better still, whizz them in a food processor.  Taste carefully and continue to season until you are happy with the flavour: it may need a little more lemon juice.   Press the mixture into a pottery bowl, cover and refrigerate.
 Rachel’s Crab and Prawn Coconut Soup
  Serves 2
 This soup is delightfully rich and flavoursome but as it contains milk rather than cream it will not leave you feeling sluggish.
 2 tbsp sunflower oil
2 small cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
½ tsp grated ginger
1 tsp lemon grass, finely chopped
200g (7oz) crab meat
500ml (18fl.oz) fish or light chicken stock
1 x 165g tin coconut milk
1 tbsp fish sauce (nam pla)
50g (2oz) raw prawns, peeled
2 spring onions, trimmed and finely sliced
juice of  ½ lemon
¼ red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
1 tbsp chopped fresh coriander (leaves and stalks)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
 

 In a large saucepan on a medium heat, heat the oil, then add the garlic, ginger, lemon grass and crab meat.  Toss on the heat for a few minutes until light golden.  Add the stock, coconut milk and fish sauce.   Bring to the boil, reduce to a simmer and add the prawns.   Cook for 1-2 minutes (simmering all the time) until the prawns are cooked.  Then add the spring onions, lemon juice, chilli and coriander, season to taste and serve.
 Hot Tips for July 26^th
 SCHULL AGRICULTURAL SHOW – Sunday, 27th July, The Town Park, SchullThis is an unusual Show in that it has a very strong Food Connection – Ted Bernerand Fingal Ferguson of WILDSIDE CATERING will be there with Spits full of local pigs and lamb

The Farmer’s Market also will have all the local foods for sale and sampling – local horses,a fun dog show and also a Children’s Corner with a difference, very hands on and great fun for all the family!  Show Secretary Joe Ahern:  028 28707

Growing Awareness presents Permaculture Gardens Workshop with Graham Strouts – Sunday 27^th July
At Derryduff, Coomhola, Bantry, Co Cork
Learn about the principles of Permaculture by making an ‘instant’ mulched garden, use perennials, and design a ‘forest garden’ including tree crops, fruit trees and bushes, perennial vegetables and other perennial plants. Cost €40 waged or €25 unwaged, Pre-booking essential – contact Graham on 086-8539900 or 027-66931or email graham@zone5.org  Slow Food Ireland Terra Madre – WIT Waterford 4-7 September
www.terramadreireland.org
 ‘How to cure a pig in a day’ with Phillip Dennhardt at Ballymaloe Cookery School
On 16^th September – now booking – Tel 021-4646785 www.cookingisfun.ie