Fresh Spider Crab with Arroz Cremoso
Difficulty
Challenge
Total Time
2H 45MIN
Ingredients
FOR THE SPIDER CRAB AND CRAB ROYAL JUS
Live spider crab or Dungeness, king, or blue crab: 1 (about 1 kg)
FOR THE CRAB AIOLI
Egg yolk: 1
Grapeseed oil: 120 ml
Garlic: 1 tsp (smashed and minced)
Espelette pepper or pimentón de la Vera: 1 pinch
Juice of 1/4 lemon: 1/4
Crab royal jus: 60 ml
Salt: to taste
FOR THE CRAB BUTTER
Cultured butter: 225 g (softened)
Crab royal jus: 60 ml
Juice of 1/4 lemon: 1/4
Lemon zest
Salt: to taste
FOR THE BOMBA RICE
Mediterranean mussels: 1 lb
Bomba short-grain rice: 1 cup
Sweet onion: 1/4 (finely chopped)
Spanish Arbequina olive oil: 60 ml
FOR ASSEMBLY
Cooked spider crab meat (see above): 120 g
Crab aioli (see above): 90 ml
Bomba rice
Mussels broth
Crab butter (see above)
At Asador Bastian, chef Doug Psaltis builds this dish around spider crab, drawing out its natural sweetness through a layered approach of crab royal jus, emulsified rice, and rich butter. The result is a composed arroz cremoso that balances intensity and restraint, with each element reinforcing the depth of the crab rather than competing with it.
How to make Fresh Spider Crab with Arroz Cremoso
01.
Prepare the Spider Crab and Crab Royal Jus
- Cook and clean the spider crab, separating the head from the lower leg portion. Keep all of the jus in the head by keeping the cupped side facing up. Using scissors, remove the gills from the lower leg portion. Set a steamer basket over boiling water or set a steam oven to 212°F.
- Steam the crab heads and legs for 16 minutes (for a 1 kg crab). Remove from the steamer and place in the refrigerator to cool.
- Once cooled, begin cleaning the crab. Pour the contents from the head into a bowl; this will include the crab head liquid and fat. Blend for 60 seconds on high, then pass through a strainer. This jus is key to the dish and is referred to as crab royal jus.
- Remove the legs from the lower portion of the crab. Using heavy-duty scissors and thin tweezers, split the legs and extract the meat from the legs and lower mantle. This is a labor-intensive task but well worth the effort.
- Carefully check the crab meat for any shell fragments. Reserve the crab meat in the refrigerator in a covered container.
02.
Make the Crab Aioli
- In a medium bowl, crack the egg and add the yolk to the bowl; reserve the whites for another use.
- Add 1 tablespoon of crab royal jus and the minced garlic to the yolk and whisk to combine.
- Slowly whisk the oil into the egg yolk mixture in a fine stream to create an emulsion.
- Once thickened to a mayonnaise-like consistency, season with salt and espelette pepper.
- Add the lemon juice to balance.
03.
Make the Crab Butter
- Allow the butter to come to room temperature.
- In a KitchenAid mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix the butter until creamy.
- Slowly add the crab royal jus to the butter.
- Finish with lemon juice and finely zest the lemon into the butter using a microplane.
- Taste and season with salt.
04.
Make the Bomba Rice
- Bring a medium saucepan with a lid over medium heat. Clean the beards from the mussels and discard any broken shells.
- Add the mussels to the pot, add 1 fl oz of water, and cover to steam. The mussels will begin to open after about 90 seconds; once all the mussels are open, remove from the heat.
- Strain the mussel juice into a bowl and reserve the mussels for another use.
- Add warm water to the mussel juice to yield 4 cups of total liquid; keep warm.
- In a separate medium saucepan over medium heat, warm the olive oil. Add the onion and sweat without color, about 4–5 minutes.
- Add the rice and stir to coat the grains in olive oil.
- Add 1 cup of broth, season, and bring to a boil. Cook until almost dry, then add 1 more cup of broth and cook until dry.
- Add the remaining 2 cups of broth and cook until the rice is al dente.
- Strain the rice from the broth. Reserve both separately.
- Spread the rice on a tray to cool and cool the broth in a bowl.
05.
Assemble and Serve
- In an ovenproof dish, place 4 oz of the spider crab meat in the center. Top with 3 fl oz of crab aioli, then bake at 400°F for 5 minutes.
- Warm 1 cup of bomba rice and add 2 fl oz of the mussel broth to bring to a boil. Add 3 tablespoons of crab butter, stirring to emulsify. The rice should be loose but not watery or thin, and not tight. Taste and season.
- Remove the crab from the oven and spoon the rice around the shellfish.
- Using a microplane, finely zest about ⅛ of a lemon over the top.
