King crabs – Mouthwatering monsters from the sea
Royal finger food
King Crabs = King Crabs
Once you have found them somewhere, everything is actually quite simple. Almost, because then you have to get the things open to get to the tasty crab meat …
Once you’ve done that, you’ll be deliciously rewarded. In the legs and claws of the king crab is a white, wonderfully tender and intensely crustacean-tasting meat. Grandiose.
So, don’t be put off at all, even though in Germany king crab rarely ends up on your plate – there’s a great culinary adventure waiting for you.
The preparation that I have here for you is really very simple. I got this recipe from ILJA and LAAS from SCAMBAS (TEL: 040 9867 7533) – which I just discovered new to Cook for 2! Thank you for your great product and great recipe.
Here we go …
Preparation time
12 hours (Defrost overnight)
Time needed
Until a packet of refrigerator cold butter melts in the oven at 200°C (12-15 min.).
Servings
for 2 persons
Kitchen know-it-all
This "crab" is actually a cancer.
King Crab | King Crab
Delicious rarity. Expensive … Tasty …
Spiked. Up to one meter tall and weighing up to twelve kilos. Nose spine and pointed claws on the legs. King crabs are quite scary sea creatures.
As is so often the case with specialty foods, king crab is not without controversy. They should be consumed with care – which is not difficult given the prices.
Wikipedia lets us know about this:
The king cra b or Kamchatka crab (Paralithodes camtschaticus), occasionally called a monster crab because of its size, is a large mid-size crab in the stone and king crab family. Thus, it does not belong to the crabs in the strict sense. It is considered a delicacy and is fished extensively. (…)
It was first found only in the northern Pacific (mainly off Japan and Alaska) until it was also established in northern Europe in the Barents Sea, from where it spread widely as a bioinvasive species. In the 1960s, at the behest of General Secretaries Joseph Stalin and later Nikita Khrushchev, king crabs were released in the Soviet Union on a planned basis by Russian explorers in the Barents Sea near Murmansk to improve the supply situation for the population. Adult king crabs have few natural enemies and have therefore been able to spread rapidly in the Barents Sea and along the Norwegian coast. (…)
It is often suspected that the animals could cause an ecological disaster. In December 2010, a group of environmental activists dumped about 2,000 live specimens in front of the Ministry of Fisheries in Oslo, calling for the eradication of the animals – sometimes disparaged by Norwegians as “stink crabs” – from the country’s coastline. (…)
In the German tabloid press, there are regular rumors that “the monster” will spread further south and at some point injure bathers on Sylt. However, serious marine biologists do not participate in such calls. On the one hand, the crab has not spread to the warm Pacific even in its original habitat, and on the other hand, it is considered likely (but not yet fully researched) that certain (warm water) microorganisms make it impossible for the crab to survive south of central Norway. (…)
Source: Wikipedia
Ingredients
- 1.000 g king crabs (legs/claw arms), frozen/precooked
- 250 g butter
Purchasing
As I said – often not so easy …
Go to the fishmonger you trust.
You need a top quality. In Germany, king crabs are almost only available as frozen goods in the fish trade.
With good fishmongers, this is not a problem at all. Pre-cooked they should also be.
You buy legs and scissor arms, prices per kilo vary – they are never cheap …
If you are ever in Hamburg:
I buy my king crabs from
SCAMBAS in Hamburg-Blankenese
Preparation
about 12 hours before preparation
In rest lies strength
Take the frozen king crabs out of the freezer and place them in the refrigerator where they can relax and thaw overnight. Take your king crabs out of the refrigerator 1-2 hours before preparing them so they come to room temperature.
Preheat your oven to 200°C.
Rinse legs and scissor arms with clear cold water.
Divide the legs and scissor arms into the (easily recognizable) individual segments.
It’s best to use a large knife for this, because when you “pluck” it apart, it’s easy to pull the crab meat out of the shell, which is definitely not what you want.
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Take the 250 g butter out of the refrigerator, take it out of the package and place it in one piece in the center of a cold baking sheet.
Spread the segments on the baking sheet over and around the butter (which will shortly – and all by itself – turn into a wonderful crab butter).
Cover the king crabs loosely with aluminum foil on the baking sheet.
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Put the tray in the oven.
Pour hot water into a prepared sufficiently large bowl, as well as a smaller one. This way they are preheated when the ready prepared leg and claw segments as well as the melted crab butter go in.
Check on it from time to time, when the butter has completely melted, the king crabs are ready.
Put the legs and scissor arms and butter in the preheated bowls (yes – pour out the water first).
Ready.
Bon appétit.
…
And you like this:
Uh… How do I get the crab meat out of the shell now?
And on it I so:
Royal finger food …
Take a sharp knife in one hand and a leg or scissor arm segment in the other.
Be careful – these things sting.
Carefully cut the shell lengthwise, pry open and scoop out the crab meat, dip in the crab butter or Thousand Islands dressing.
Put it in your mouth, close your eyes and enjoy.
Some bread in between and on to the next bite …
