Oven Roasted Crab Buon Natale Recipes

OVEN-ROASTED DUNGENESS CRAB

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 500°F. Melt butter with oil in heavy large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in garlic, shallot, and dried crushed red pepper. Add crabs; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon chopped thyme and 1 tablespoon chopped parsley over crabs. Stir to combine. Place skillet in oven and roast crabs until heated through, stirring once, about 12 minutes.
• Using tongs, transfer crabs to platter. Add orange juice and peel to same skillet; boil until sauce is reduced by about half, about 5 minutes. Spoon sauce over crabs. Sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon thyme and 1 tablespoon parsley and serve.

GARLIC ROASTED CRAB

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 500*.
• In a very large oven-proof bowl, place butter and olive oil.
• Put in oven to melt butter and heat bowl (the bowl needs to be hot when you add the crab).
• Break crab legs apart from body, and break body into 2 sections per crab, but do not remove meat from shell.
• Stir crab into hot butter and olive oil mixture; sprinkle in minced garlic and salt and pepper to taste.
• Toss everything together well.
• Bake for 6 minutes and toss well again.
• Bake another 6 minutes, until crab is heated through and garlic is light brown.
• Remove from oven and top with lemon juice and parsley; toss again.
• Serve from hot bowl with lots of napkins and artisanal French or sourdough bread (such as La Brea Bakery's) to soak up the delicious juices.

OVEN-ROASTED DUNGENESS CRAB

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 500°F Melt butter with oil in heavy large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in garlic, shallot, and dried crushed red pepper. Add crabs; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon chopped thyme and 1 tablespoon chopped parsley over crabs. Stir to combine. Place skillet in oven and roast crabs until heated through, stirring once, about 12 minutes.
• Using tongs, transfer crabs to platter. Add orange juice and peel to same skillet; boil until sauce is reduced by about half, about 5 minutes. Spoon sauce over crabs. Sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon thyme and 1 tablespoon parsley and serve.

OVEN-ROASTED CRAB BUON NATALE

Steps:

• Crack the crab reserving the juices. Set aside. Make the sauce by adding resreved crab juices, chili flakes, thyme, garlic, and lemon juice and bring to a quick simmer over low heat. Give it a final quick stir and remove the pan from the heat. Pour the sauce into a small mixing bowl and allow it to cool. (Start roasting the crab once the sauce is cooling.) As soon as the sauce feels lukewarm to the touch, add the mayonnaise or aioli along with the salt and pepper. Taste and add more salt, pepper, or thyme, if you like. Put a rack in the middle or lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. On the stove, in a large oven-proof saute pan or casserole, heat the butter, olive oil, garlic, thyme, and lemon zest over medium-high heat until hot. Add crab pieces and season with salt, pepper, to taste, and mix well. Put the pan in the oven and cook until the crab is hot throughout and the garlic is golden brown. (Watch carefully; the crab heats very quickly and at 500 degrees F the garlic can burn easily.) Remove the crab from the oven, drizzle with 4 tablespoons of lemon juice and scatter the parsley over the top. To serve, stack the crab on a platter and drizzle with the sauce or serve the sauce in a small bowl and allow your guests to help themselves. Garnish the platter with lemon wedges and slices of garlic-rubbed toast. Serve immediately.