Crab and Shrimp Stew

This recipe was shown to me when I spent my summers in Loxley, Alabama as a youngster. I always looked forward to going to the Bay to set out Crab traps and dragging a Shrimp net. The reason I call this a stew and not a gumbo is the lack of okra or file’. The owner of the boat we went out on was born in Norway and this was basically his recipe. I changed some of the spices as he gained the knowledge of making a roux and using the trinity from the Southern Coast. I am so glad that he took the time to teach the art of catching and cleaning the bounties the Bay.

1 dozen crabs, scalded

1 1/2 pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined (heads and shells reserved)

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 1/4 cup chopped onions

1/2 cup chopped bell peppers

3/4 cup chopped celery

2 bay leaves

Salt and cayenne to taste

1 pound lump crabmeat, picked over for shells and cartilage

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley

1/2 stick butter

1/2 cup cream

Cooked rice for serving

To scald the crabs wash them in clean running water. Drop in boiling water. You don’t want to leave them in the hot water too long — just until they start to turn light pink, since all you want to do is keep them from biting you as you process them.

Pull the backs off the crabs, and clean out the dead man fingers, lungs and centers of the crabs. If there is any fat in the crabs, scoop it out with your fingers and put in a small bowl. Crack the claws, but do not remove the shells. Break the crab bodies in half. Set aside.

Peel and devein the shrimp. Put the heads and shells in a large pot with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for about 1 hour.

Meanwhile, combine the oil and flour in a large, heavy pot over medium heat. Stirring slowly and constantly, make a dark brown roux. Add the onions, bell peppers and celery, and cook, stirring, until soft, about 8 minutes. Add the bay leaves.

Strain the shrimp stock. You should have 4 to 5 cups of stock. Add enough water to make 6 cups. Add to the roux mixture and stir to blend. Season the stock with salt and cayenne. Bring the mixture to a boil, and then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, for about 1 ½ hours, stirring occasionally.

Add the reserved crab bodies (and any reserved crab fat) and simmer for 20 minutes, then add the lump crabmeat, shrimp, butter and cream. Cook for 10 minutes longer. Remove from the heat and add the parsley stir well and taste for seasoning. If you needed to add more seasoning, return to low for about 5 min. so the flavors can marry.  

 Serve hot with rice in bowls.

Corn and Crab Bisque

You can subtitute other seafood for the crab or just add them on in.

4 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup minced onions

1 cup uncooked sweet corn from the cob

2 tablespoons minced shallots

1 tablespoons minced garlic

2 tablespoons minced celery

Favorite Cajun spice blend

1 cup crab stock or fish stock

3 bay leaves

Salt and pepper

2 cup milk

2 cup heavy cream

1 teaspoons liquid crab boil

3 tablespoons flour

1/2 -1 cup lump crab meat, picked over for shells and cartilage

1/4 cup chopped green onions

1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

Chives for garish

In a large sauce pot, heat the pan to medium low and add butter. Add the onions, corn, shallots, garlic, celery and saute for 1 minute. Add the flour and stir until you get a blond roux. Season with Cajun spice. Add the stock, and bay leaves. Season with salt and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil. Whisk in the milk, cream, and crab boil.Bring back to a boil, reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 5-7 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and continue to cook, whisking until the mixture thickens. Stir in the crab meat, green onions, and Worcestershire and simmer for 6-8 minutes. Reseason if needed. Remove the bay leaves and Ladle into a shallow bowl and garnish with chives.

Seafood Courtboullion

1 Lb. Redfish or Catfish cut into two inch cubes

1/2 cup raw bacon, chopped

1 cup yellow onion, diced

1 tablespoon garlic, minced

3/4 cup red bell pepper, diced

1/2 cup green bell pepper, diced

3 cups okra, chopped

6 cups fresh tomatoes, chopped

1 lemon, zest and juiced

3/4 cup white wine

1 cup fish stock

1 cup Shock Top beer

1/2 pound crabmeat

1/2 pound fresh shrimp,cleaned and deveined.

1 cup peanuts

3 cups + 3 tablespoons flour

1 1\2 tablespoons Creole seasoning

2 teaspoons Tabasco sauce

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

salt and black pepper, to taste

1. Render the bacon. Add butter and 3 tablespoons flour and make a light brown roux. Stir in and saute the onions and garlic until tender. Add and saute the bell peppers. Stir in the okra and season with salt and black pepper. Add tomatoes and Creole seasoning and bring to a simmer. Stir in wine, lemon, and fish stock, and then bring to a boil.

2. Chop peanuts in food processor and blend with flour. Dust shrimp and Red fish with peanut flour. In a separate saute pan, saute redfish and shrimp in butter, in batches until lightly browned. Add fish and shrimp to the courtboullion and cover for 10 minutes. Add the crab Simmer for 5 minutes. Season with salt, pepper, Tabasco, and Creole seasoning to taste.

3. Serve over long grain rice or Toast points.

Pecan Crusted Crab Cakes

1/3 cup pecans

 1 1/2" slice firm sour dough bread, torn into pieces

 2 tablespoons mayonnaise

 2 teaspoons lemon juice

 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

 1 egg yolk

 8 ounces (1/2 pound) lump crab meat

 1 tablespoon minced chives

 1 1/2 tablespoons butter

  Place pecans and torn bread in a food processor. Pulse until pecans are finely chopped and bread is crumbly.

In a medium bowl combine mayonnaise, lemon juice, mustard and egg yolk; blend well. Add crab and chives; stir gently to mix, so not to break up crab meat to much. Stir in just enough of pecan-bread crumbs to help bind the mixture but not to take away from the crab.

Place remaining crumbs on a plate. Form crab mixture into 4 cakes, about 3 inches in diameter. Dredge crab cakes in crumbs, pressing gently just to help mixture adhere.

In a medium skillet, melt butter over a medium-low heat. Add crab cakes for about 2-3 minutes , turn over once and cook second side about 2 minutes, until they are hot in center and nicely browned on both sides.

Crab Strudel

A fun and different way to serve up some Crab!

1/4 cup onions, diced

 3 pounds lump crabmeat

 1/4 cup shallots, diced

 2 teaspoons garlic, minced

 2 cups mushrooms, sliced

 1/4 cup heavy cream

 1 pound cream cheese

 1/4 cup parmesan cheese

 6 sheets phyllo dough

 1/4 cup melted butter

 salt and pepper to taste

 1 small egg beaten

Saute shallots, mushrooms and onions in clarified butter until just tender about three minutes on medium.

Add crabmeat, spices and cheese. Cool down with heavy cream.

Spoon into 5 small individual 8 ounce casserole dishes and top with phyllo dough, press around the sides and brush lightly with beaten egg.

Brown in 350 degree oven for 7 1/2 minutes.

And thats all there is to it.

Crab and Shrimp stuffed Eggplant

3 Whole eggplants (medium size)

1/2 Pound Lump crab Meat

1/2 Pound medium shrimp peeled

1/4 Pound butter

2 Medium onions (chopped fine)

1/4 Cup parsley (chopped)

1 Stalk of celery (chopped fine)

3 cloves garlic (chopped fine)

2 bell peppers (chopped)

salt and Pepper to taste

1 tsp. paprika

1/2 Cup bread Crumbs

2 tsp. olive oil

Place whole eggplants in large pot with enough water to cover the whole eggplants, and simmer until they are soft. When soft remove from heat and cool in cold water. When cool, cut the eggplants in half and scrape the eggplant out. Be careful not to tear skin. Next sauté onions, celery, bell pepper in butter until soft. Here in the South this is called the Trinity. Add the eggplant meat that you scraped out and the garlic cook until all the liquid had evaporated. Add shrimp and cook about five minutes. Turn fire off and fold in crab meat and parsley and enough bread crumbs to give the mixture consistency. Fill the empty shells with the mixture and lightly spread bread crumbs on top and sprinkle the olive oil on top of each half eggplant, and bake in 350 degree oven for about twenty-five minutes.

Stuffed Alligator Pears

Alligator Pears, also known as Miritons or Chayote squash are great for stuffing.

4 mirlitons

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter

1/2 cup Trinity finely chopped (onion, bell pepper, celery)

1/2 pound shrimp, shelled, deveined and chopped

1/2 pound claw crab meat

1 bunch scallions, thinly diced

1/2 cup seasoned dried bread crumbs

4 slices precooked bacon chopped.

salt and pepper

cayenne pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Halve mirlitons lengthwise. Cook them until just tender, 15 to 20 minutes, in a large pot of boiling salted water. Remove seed and discard. Carefully scoop out the flesh with a spoon, preserving the shell. Coarsely chop the flesh.

Measure out and melt 2 tablespoons of the butter. Set aside.

In a large skillet, melt remaining butter. Add Trinty and cook until translucent, 8 to 10 minutes. Add mirliton and toss to coat. Stir in shrimp and cook until just pink, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in crab meat, scallions, 1/4cup of the bread crumbs and the Bacon. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Place the shells on a baking sheet and fill with the stuffing. Sprinkle with the remaining bread crumbs and drizzle with reserved butter and shake a small amount of Cayenne on each for taste and presentation . Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until heated through.

Crab And Avocado Rangoon

This is one of the party foods I put out when I'm going to fire up the fryer. I have two dipping sauces shown in the directions.

16 ounces light cream cheese, softened

2 ripe avocados cut into blending size chunks

1 15 ounce can crab meat, drained and crumbled

2 green onions, thinly chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1/2 teaspoon soy sauce

1 egg beaten

1 package won ton skins

In medium bowl, combine all ingredients except won ton skins, mix until well blended. (To prevent won ton skins from drying out, prepare one at a time and place under a damp cloth.) Place 1 teaspoon filling in center of each won ton skin.

Moisten edges with egg; fold in half to form triangle, pressing edges to seal. Pull bottom corners down and overlap slightly; moisten one corner and press to seal. Deep-fry in hot (375 degrees F) oil two or three at a time until browned.

Pina Colada Dipping Sauce:

4 ounces pina colada mix

3 ounces sour cream

3 ounces drained, crushed pineapple

Mix all ingredients well.

Mustard-Dill Sauce:

1 cup mayonnaise

4 tablespoons Chinese style mustard

1/2 cup snipped parsley

3 tablespoons fresh dill weed or 1 tablespoon dried dill

In a small bowl, combine all ingredients; mix thoroughly until smooth.

Both sauces need to be chilled

Fried Green Tomatoes With Crabmeat Remoulade

Remoulade:
1 1/2 cups mayonnaise
2 teaspoons creole mustard
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup chopped onions
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 tablespoons finely chopped green onions (green part only)
salt, freshly ground black pepper, and hot sauce, to taste
1 pound lump crabmeat, picked over for shells and cartilage


Fried Green Tomatoes:
2 pounds green tomatoes, trimmed and cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
3/4 cup vegetable oil for deep-frying
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup yellow cornmeal
3/4 cup buttermilk
2 eggs, lightly beaten
4 cups baby salad greens


• Directions for Remoulade:
• Combine the mayonnaise, mustard, lemon juice, onions, parsley, and green onions in a bowl and stir to blend. Season with salt, pepper, and hot sauce. Add the crabmeat and gently toss to coat evenly. Cover and refrigerate.


• Directions for Green Tomatoes:
• Season the tomato slices with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Put the flour in a shallow bowl and the cornmeal in another shallow bowl. Combine the buttermilk and eggs in another bowl. Dredge the tomatoes first in the flour, coating evenly on both sides, and shaking off any excess flour.
• Then dip them in the egg and buttermilk mixture, coating evenly. Then dredge them in the cornmeal, coating evenly and shaking off any excess cornmeal. Add the tomatoes, 3 or 4 at a time, to the hot oil and fry until golden brown, about 2 minutes on each side.
• Drain on rack or paper towels and repeat with the remaining tomatoes. 




To assemble, arrange equal amounts of the greens in the center of 6 salad plates. Top with fried green tomatoes slices and top with the Remoulade. Serve immediately.

Crab Strudel

1/4 cup onions, diced

3 pounds lump crabmeat

1/4 cup shallots, diced

2 teaspoons garlic, minced

2 cups mushrooms, sliced

1/4 cup heavy cream

1 pound cream cheese

 1/4 cup parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon thyme

 1 teaspoon oregano

1/4  stick butter

6 small sheets of  phyllo dough per casserole, or large sheets sectioned to fit

1/4 cup melted clarified butter
salt and pepper to taste

1 small egg beaten

 Sauté shallots, mushrooms and onions in clarified butter until just tender about three minutes on medium.

Add crabmeat, spices and cheese. Cool down with heavy cream.

Take the phyllo sheets and spread the melted butter evenly over each sheet and stack one on the other six times. You can cut the sheets to fit the casseroles.

Spoon into 5 small individual 8 ounce casserole dishes and top with phyllo dough, press around the sides and brush lightly with beaten egg. Brown in 350 degree oven for 7 to 10 minutes.

Easy Crab Lasagna Rolls

I would like to thank Shandy for making this recipe and sending me the great photos!

1/2 pound flaked or lump crab meat shopping list

1 can (15 ounces) favorite style tomato sauce

4 regular lasagna noodles, cooked and drained

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

2/3 cup cottage cheese

1 egg

1 tablespoon parsley flakes shopping list

1/4 teaspoon onion powder

Additional grated Parmesan and Mushrooms. (optional)

Beat the egg. Thoroughly combine crab meat, Parmesan cheese, cottage cheese, egg, parsley flakes and onion powder.

Divide filling into 4 equal portions. Spread filling mixture on each noodle.

Roll noodles tightly, and place seam-side down in an 8-inch square baking dish.

Pour tomato sauce over top. Cover and bake for 30 minutes.

Sprinkle with additional grated cheese if desired. Serve immediately.

I have also made this with different types of white

pasta sauces topped with thin sliced tomatoes and

grated cheese. And of course you can hot it up if you want.

Shandy  added fresh mushrooms, extra cheese and the tomatoes to her topping.