Home

 
Salt and Pepper Crab

by Cynthia Nims

www.cynthianims.com

 

 Photo courtesy of Rizzo Studios 

 

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon lightly crushed Szechwan pepper

1/4 cup peanut oil or vegetable oil

1 whole Dungeness crab (about 2 pounds), cleaned and portioned, shells lightly cracked if precooked

 

Nam Pla Prik

1/4 cup fish sauce

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice

6 Thai green chiles, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

 

For the nam pla prik sauce, combine the fish sauce, lime juice, chiles, and garlic in a small bowl, stir to mix, and set aside. The sauce can be made a day or two in advance and refrigerated until ready to serve, though keep in mind the chile heat will develop the longer it sits before serving.

 

In a small dish, combine the salt, black pepper, and Szechwan pepper and stir to mix. Heat the oil in a wok or large heavy skillet over medium-high heat until it is almost smoking. Carefully add the crab pieces and stir-fry until the shells are bright red and the meat turns from translucent to opaque if using raw crab (use body meat to judge, its flesh will be more visible), about 5 minutes, or until the cooked crab is heated through, 2 to 3 minutes. Sprinkle the spice mixture over and continue stir-frying until the crab is evenly coated in the spices and they give off a slightly toasty aroma, 1 to 2 minutes longer.

 

Transfer the crab to a warmed serving platter and pour the nam pla prik into individual bowls for dipping. Have a discard bowl available for shells, and plenty of napkins.

 

Makes 2 servings

  

from Crab in the Northwest Homegrown Cookbook Series © Cynthia Nims

Reprinted with permission

 

For more recipes and information from Cynthia and to sign up for her free newsletter, visit her website at http://www.cynthianims.com/

 

Home