EdibleDC.com SPAGHETTI AI GRANCHI

SPAGHETTI AI GRANCHI

August 25, 2014 · Edible DC

by Giacomo Abrusci

It’s crab season here in the Chesapeake Bay region, where we cover our tables with sheets of butcher’s paper and Old Bay is king all summer long. Whether you pick your crabs up from the waterfront fish markets in southwest DC or jump right into the Bay like my father and me, here’s a recipe to have seafood lovers licking their lips all day long: Spaghetti ai Granchi, or spaghetti with crab.

First clean the fresh uncooked crabs by removing the shells and washing them thoroughly — you’ll do this when they are really cold (either by storing them on ice or refrigerating them), which makes them dormant and easier to work with — then set them in the refrigerator until you’re ready to get to business.  I like leaving the tomalley— that’s the greenish goo, otherwise known as the crab’s liver and considered a delicacy, that you’ll find on the inside of the crab once you remove the shells — but this is not everyone’s style.

Start a basic marinara sauce with some olive oil, chopped onion, maybe some hot pepper, a mouthful of white wine, and some fresh crushed tomatoes. When the sauce is simmering nicely, add the crabs and let that cook uncovered on low heat for at least thirty to forty-five minutes.  Add a little more water or wine if the sauce is starting to get too thick and then add salt and pepper to taste.  Once you’re ready, move the crabs to a serving platter and cook your spaghetti until it is just al dente. Drain the pasta and add it to your sauce with a fistful of fresh parsley and serve with the crabs or as two separate courses.

A delicious alternative to our usual Old Bay steamers!  Click here to learn more about crabbing and fishing in our area.

summer shrimp and beans

Another great high protein low carb dish.  Brown some garlic (some hot pepper too if you like) then drop in your shelled and deveined shrimp. Cover and lower the heat.  When they're just about done, uncover and throw in a few ripe quartered tomatoes.  In the mean time drain and rinse a can of white cannellini beans, toss with some olive oil and sea salt.  When the shrimp are fully cooked, remove them from the pan, plate them with your beans, let the sauce reduce a bit more, drizzle the remainder of the sauce and serve.  Packs a ton more flavor than you think and such a healthy way to end your day.

REPOST: Five Fish that are Sustainable and (Almost) Guilt-free

Fish market outside Banjul in The Gambia. Fish is a crucial food for billions of people, but many fish stocks are threatened due to overfishing. (Photo credit: Bernard Pollack)


Interesting piece on new options for sustainable seafood:
According to a 2010 Food and Agriculture Organization report, 33 percent of the world’s fisheries are over-exploited, depleted, or recovering from depletion, and another 52 percent are fully exploited. As more fish stocks fail under the pressure, many fisherpeople, fishery managers, and policymakers are focusing on making fishing more sustainable, using methods that have proven effective at restoring both quantity and quality in depleted fisheries. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE

garlic shrimp with toasted almonds almonds over quinoa.

This is a stretched variation of a Bahraini dish I learned in college.  Cook some plain quinoa and set aside (2 parts water 1 part quinoa bring to a boil and let simmer for 15-20 minutes) in a serving platter.  Then in a large pan gently brown some garlic in olive oil then toss in some chili pepper and defrosted, peeled and deveined shrimp (figure at least a couple per person depending how large they are).  Let them cook 5-10 minutes on medium-to-high until they're pink and starting to go golden brown.  Remove and layer the shrimp over the rice then quickly, on low-to-medium heat toss in a handful of sliced almonds, let them brown (it only takes seconds, if you walk away they'll burn), if you like quickly deglaze with a few teaspoons of vermouth  then pour the almonds and seasoned oil over the shrimp and quinoa, crack some black pepper, garnish with chopped parsley and be ready to wow your guests.

tuna citrus salad

Possibly the most refreshing salad you'll ever have.  Prepare some lettuce in your bowl with chopped cucumber, half a peeled and sliced orange and half a peeled and sliced grapefruit.  Add a few bean sprouts or wheat grass and then lay a sliced seared tuna steak. For the dressing mix one part lemon juice one part orange juice, some olive oil, a sprinkle of garlic powder and salt and cracked pepper to taste.

For the tuna, season with salt and pepper and sear for 45seconds to a minute on each side in a hot pan drizzled with canola oil. Set aside so it cools a bit to room temperature, slice and serve.

A perfect summer lunch but look to this now- a February meal packed with lean protein with lots of fresh ingredients that will keeping you balanced and healthy.  Beach season is around the corner!

yellow rice and seafood.

Seafood and yellow rice- 25 minute total cheat recipe that 100% of the ingredients can be hiding in your freezer or cupboard.  Prep a standard yellow saffron rice, if you want even get the already seasoned dry rice, get your water to boil and just when you drop in the rice (for 4 people), throw in two cups of frozen chopped mixed vegetables (peas, carrots, corn, onion), and 3-4 cups of cut frozen mixed seafood (scallops, shrimp, calamari), add butter or oil as directed on whatever rice  you choose, let that come to another full boil (covered), then shut off the heat and let that steam itself for 15-20 minutes.  If the rice is still watery, turn the heat back on and simmer uncovered for a few minutes and if it's to dry and slightly crunchy, simmer gently uncovered and add water 3/4 of a cup at a time till its perfect. Add some chopped parsley and you're DONE.

mixed seafood with kimchi

This is a variation of something I had in Korea over the summer.  Its a hearty, yummy dish and you can make it as spicy as you like.  In a large pan with a bit of canola oil, quickly sautee about a cup of chopped kimchi,  a tablespoon of crushed or chopped garlic, and a chili pepper or two.  Once that starts to cook and the garlic browns add two diced potatoes, a small can of crushed tomatoes (and that same can's worth of water), and let it gently simmer.  Season with a bit of fish sauce (if you don't have fish sauce you can substitute with soy sauce) and after the potatoes soften and the sauce reduces (15-20 minutes) add a bag of frozen mixed seafood (I usually get the squid/mussel/shrimp mix)- let that cook for about another 5 minutes then serve with some white rice, chopped scallions and chili paste on the side.  Goes great with edamame or pickled green beans for appetizer and a plain spinach salad on the side. Quick and easy way to bring some flavors of the Yellow Sea into your home. 

boquerones, marinated white anchovies

don't cringe just cause you hear the word anchovy.  These taste nothing like what you're used to finding in a can and are honestly some of the most delicate and delicious savory snacks you may ever come across. Some of you may know these as boquerones and you'll find them at almost every tapas bar in Barcelona. Making them really isn't that difficult, just salting, cleaning and marinating the fish but at this point you can find them at Whole Foods, Dean & Deluca and a couple other specialty or international stores. Think of these to add to your spread next time you have people over for drinks and appetizers.

stuffed calamari

Much easier than you would think.  Get six or so fresh squid heads-  Whole Foods usually has them but you might need to shop around otherwise.  Get them home, rinse 'em out real good and set aside.  In a food processor (or by hand if you don't have one) throw in two boiled potatoes, half a cup of bread crumbs, 2-3 jalapeños, and good fistfull of parsley, 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil, then mix in some salt, black pepper and an egg. With a teaspoon gently fill each of the heads, secure it with a toothpick and pan fry for a few minutes on each side till they turn white and just get golden brown.  This is FANTASTIC over a bed of baby spinach with shaved radishes, red onions and a balsamic reduction.  This is a good alternative when considering sustainable seafood and sure to impress anyone who appreciates calamari. 

pasta with squid ink

OMG this was sooo good.  My gift from Shannon from Barcelona, it was an already prepared seafood and squid ink sauce.  The pasta got cooked with it and man, my mouth is watering just thinking about it.

I'm looking everywhere to try and find it in the US.

REWARD for anyone that can find me some!

stuffed sardines

If you say you don't like sardines just because you remember smelling them once as a child when your Grandfather was eating them out of a can then you need to refresh your taste buds. Sardines are a delicious, delicate, meaty and incredible sustainable fish to eat.

  Buy them fresh just like any other fish, have them cleaned ahead of time if you don't want to get your counter top dirty and then the key for this recipe (and a handfull of others is to debone the fish, simply by running your fingernail (or a knife) down the spine and removing it from the meat leaving one large flat fillet.

Its quite easy actually.  Then make the stuffing of mashed potato, a fresh egg, some grated parmiggiano or other hard salty Italian cheese (some people say never to combine cheese and fish but I come from a family of shepards- cheese was always around so it was often used and its delicious),  fresh parsley, hot pepper, black pepper and some fresh garlic if you have it.  Mix everything together by hand- you'll see it has a great consistency- the grab a handfull and gently pack it into the cavity of the sardine. After they're all stuffed, roll them in some all purpose flour and then drop them into hot oil.  Fry until golden browm like the photo above. If you're afraid of frying, brush them with some olive oil and bake in the oven on 400 till the get the same color (15 or so minutes).  These go great as a part of a FRITTO MISTO, or a mix of fried seafood like calamari, shrimp, other white fish, or just by itself with a side of rice some lemon or maybe even some linguine.  Buon appetito!

big baked mussels

Baked mussels are one of my favorite dishes (clams are just as delicious). Get a bag of nice fresh mussels, wash and brush them, debeard them and with a dull non serrated knife open them up. To open, hold the mussel and knife in the same hand while wedging the knife against the hinge of the shell. Squeeze with both hands (as if you had two walnuts in your hand and were cracking them) and one side should slide open. It takes a while to master it and if you didn't understand exactly how I can try to expain it better later. I do believe these days you can purchase fresh mussels already opened if you have a proper fish market- I've also seen them [but never tried them] frozen. Anyway, look in the half shell and be sure to remove any small bits of broken shell. Line them up in a large oven safe pan then sprinkle fresh parsley, grated parmesan cheese, chopped garlic black pepper, hot pepper flakes, a touch of tomato sauce if you have some and finally drizzle a bit of olive oil over the top. Throw it in a preheated 400 degree oven for 15-20 minutes till they start to brown. These are fantastic, should be eaten warm and be sure to savor the juices at the bottom of the pan. It takes a while to make but you can prepare and refrigerate them raw in large batches a few hours ahead of time before entertaining. Hands down one of my favorite treats.

REVIEW (kinda): i love myself a good paella

Probably one of my favorite dishes. Personally, La Tasca holds my number one paella in DC with Jaleo a close second. I have yet to try it from Lorial since they warn you the wait is 40 minutes. This one pictured above and on the left is from the Cardozo in Miami Beach. The chorizo was exceptionally tasty here. Hands down though the best ever was on the beach in Barcelona (pictured on the right with my mom and dad)- there you have dozens of varieties, all the ingredients are as fresh as the ocean air and the demand is so high that restaurants cant afford to mess with their quality. A while back I blogged about an easy paella to make a home (see here) and I think now that spring is in the air I might finally buy myself a proper paella pan and make a night of it. My number one tip with paella: sandy shellfish will ruin your meal leaving you with gritty unappetizing rice. Be sure your clams and mussels are fresh and washed well and if you are unsure of the quality, steam them seperately, then after checking them, add (with their juices) to your completed paella- don't risk a sandy clam ruining your masterpiece.

seared tuna with dill and yellow rice

Wet your tuna steaks in soy sauce, sprikle with dried dill, black pepper, and sear a minute on each side. FANTASTIC. Fresh, healthy and only takes a few minutes start to finish. I like this with yellow rice but if you're aiming for low carb serve the tuna steak over chopped lettuce or micro greens with a touch of vinegar on the side.

peel and eat shrimp

Whether its a small dinner or a back yard bbq, peel and eat shrimp are a great idea. I always say to get them with the head on if thats available but all you need to do is arrange them in a steamer season them however you like and keep them refrigerated till you're ready. Be as creative as you want with celery salt, chili powder, garlic, et cetera - or just buy yourself a can of Old Bay seasoning. Some people like to steam them with beer. Water works just as well. You know they're done when they get nice and red. These don't need to be served hot so they're fine to leave out on a table or buffet throughout the dinner. This small effortless side really pays off in the end.

REVIEW: street ceviche in Costa Rica

this was the BEST ceviche I've ever had. Hands down. This was just a little cylinder-shaped "kiosk"/stand on the side of the road at Playa del Coco in Costa Rica (thats the best description of an address I can give you). The flavor of the Dorado (also known as Dolphin fish- sustainable seafood, btw) was nothing short of exquisite. The girl at the stand said the marinade was fresh Dorado (I'm sure you can use most fresh sashimi grade white fish), lime juice, FRESCA soda, cilantro, chili and salt. I can't wait to try this at home!

Tip: frozen shrimp

Shrimp freeze remarkably well. I fun quick tip is to keep a bag in the freezer and then every once and a while when you want to add a little flare to your salad, soup or entree, take a couple out, thaw them for a minute or two under warm water, shell and devein them if their not already then pop'em in the broiler just until their cooked and start to char (see photo). It super easy, restaurants so it all the time so you should too.

Tip: Shrimp (avoid foreign-farmed, trawled and tiger shrimp, eat wild-caught northern shrimp, pink shrimp and spot prawns from Canada and northern U.S.) (from www.nrdc.org/oceans/seafoodguide/page4.asp)

seared tuna steaks with red onion and lime

Start to marinate your tuna steaks at least an hour in advance in the juice of 3-4 limes, a touch of white vinegar, a chopped red onion, some black pepper and a touch of salt. Turn the steaks upside down occasionally and then simply sear in a hot pan with some olive oil. Serve with avocado slices and a light salad. YUUUUUM!

fresh clams

Sautee half a diced onion in some olive oil with salt and pepper. Add a cup or so of white wine and when it starts to heat add a dozen little neck clams. Cover on low heat, check back in 10-15 minutes and they should be opened, steamed and ready to eat. DELICOUS.

anisette steamed snapper

Okay okay, I know this is a sad photo to have up on my blog but A. my camera is still in the shop and B. I didn't think of using my phone camera till after. This was hands down the best snapper i ever made. When I was at the fish market with my dad I asked them to clean the fish but leave the head on- when we got home in a low pan I made a "basket" with aluminum foil, laid the fish inside, I filled the cavity with sliced fennel, red onion, lemon slices and sprig of rosemary. I scored the upper side of the fish with a knife the cracked sea salt and made another layer of lemon slices then poured about 1/2 a cup of anisette in the bottom of the basket. I then lifted the sides of aluminum foil and wrapped the fish closed (make sense?) 25-30 minutes in the oven at 275-300 degrees and out comes the most aromatic, fresh tasting steamed fish you can ever imagine. The anisette lifts the fennel to another level and adds such an intense aroma without overpowering the fish. The red onions add a touch of sweet and the lemon gives such a fresh after taste. Definately worth a try and I'll post a better photo next time!