Ingredients
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6 medium hard-shell crabs
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2 cups (500 milliliters) crab claw meat, picked clean of shell (about 510 grams), or 1 can (450 grams) crab claw meat, drained
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Juice of 1 lemon
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1 tablespoon (15 milliliters) seafood seasoning
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1/4 cup (60 milliliters) butter
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1 onion, finely diced
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1 tablespoon (15 milliliters) store-bought roasted garlic purée
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1/4 piece green bell pepper, finely diced
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1/4 piece red bell pepper, finely diced
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6 sprigs fresh thyme leaves
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1/2 Scotch bonnet pepper
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1 tablespoon (15 milliliters) diced fresh Italian parsley
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1/2 cup (125 milliliters) golden raisins
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1 cup (250 milliliters) plain bread crumbs
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1 cup (250 milliliters) panko bread crumbs
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1 cup (250 milliliters) fish or seafood stock
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Salt and pepper to taste
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Butter
Directions
- Preheat oven to 375˚F (190˚C).
- Fill a six litre pot with water halfway over medium-high heat. Add hard-shell crabs and cook for 20 minutes. Let cool.
- Separate the crabs back from the body by pulling apart at the center. Remove the yellowish fat from the crabs back (and reserve), being careful not to break the bitter gall bladder bag (a small sack usually hidden under the fat that stores bile). Discard the gall bag. Set aside the crab’s back for the stuffing.
- Pick the meat from the body and claws of the crab and set aside. In a large bowl, combine all crabmeat and add lemon juice and seafood seasoning.
- In a large skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion, garlic puree, green and red bell peppers and cook for three minutes.
- Add crab fat and meat, thyme, Scotch bonnet pepper and parsley and continue cooking, stirring, for five minutes. Add raisins, bread crumbs, stock and salt and pepper to taste and mix thoroughly.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Pack stuffing into the crabs’ backs and dot with butter. Place on the baking sheet and bake in the oven for 15 minutes or until golden.
