About the Recipe
Dungeness Crab is one of my all time favorite things to eat, unique to the west coast of North America, they are sweet and tender - an iconic West Coast seafood. Available all year long there are seven areas along BC’s coasts that harvest crab, and they are open for fishers at different times of the year. The crab fishery is highly sustainable, certified Ocean Wise, and one of the most well managed fisheries in BC with on the boat camera monitoring for every trap, specific allowable catch sizes for each crab, the fishers are only allowed to take the male crabs and the crabs with hard shells. All of these practices ensure a premium product and a premium harvest. By buying BC and supporting wild BC crab fishers with a fair price for their catch we are keeping those dollars in rural coastal communities around the province that rely on the fishery. Fishers are also the ultimate stewards of the resource, the local ecosystem and the areas they fish to ensure they have a fishery next year and for years to come.
Ingredients
Dungeness Crab:
1 large crab weighing ~2lb. You will need 2-3 cups of cooked crab meat.
Bechamel base:
¼ cup butter
½ flour
3 cups whole 3% milk
1 cup cream cheese
½ cup grated white cheddar
½ cup grated mozzarella
Crab Dip:
1 tbsp Greko lemon seasoning (Grandpa J’s)
2 tsp cracked black pepper
1 tbsp hot sauce of your choice
1 whole lemon juice and zest
To finish, preheat the oven to 425 degrees, place the mixture in a medium sized baking dish and bake in the oven for 25 minutes until cheesy, bubbly, caramelized and golden brown. Serve with breads (pita, baguette, naan) brushed with butter and then toasted I like extra hot sauce as well. Go Niners Go ;) Enjoy, Chef Ned
Preparation
Crabs: Most of the crabs we see in market are around 2 lbs.
I cook the crabs for 6-7 minutes per lb in simmering/boiling water that tastes like the sea (make sure you add salt to the water). Plunge the crab in ice water to cool completely and then clean the meat from the shell (there are some great videos online to watch how it's done). Pick and clean the crab meat.
Bechamel base:
In a medium size pot, over medium heat, melt the butter, stir in the flour with a wooden spoon, cook for 2 minutes until incorporated well and with no lumps, slowly add the milk 1 cup at a time. When the milk is all added and the mixture is smooth and thick, remove the pot from the heat, add the cream cheese, cheddar and mozzarella and stir until smooth. Gently stir in the 2-3 cups of crab meat.
Crab Dip Assembly:
To finish, preheat the oven to 425 degrees, place the mixture in a medium sized baking dish and bake in the oven for 25 minutes until cheesy, bubbly, caramelized and golden brown. Serve with breads (pita, baguette, naan) brushed with butter and then toasted I like extra hot sauce as well. Go Niners Go ;) Enjoy, Chef Ned