Crab with coconut and cilantro
Ingredients
Cilantro oil:
- 2 cups (470 ml) vegetable oil
- 1 bunch cilantro
Coconut sauce:
- 7 ounces (210 ml) coconut milk
- 15 peppercorns
- 8 cloves
- 2 Kaffir lime leaves
- 1 2-inch (5 cm) stick of cinnamon
- 1 shallot, halved
- 4 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 stalk lemongrass, bruised
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) fish sauce
Mango:
- 1 altaulfo mango, sliced same size as crab
- 1 teaspoon (5 ml) sambal
Crab:
- 2 whole very large king crab legs, steamed, in shell
- Clarified butter, as needed
- Lime zest, to garnish
Directions
- For the cilantro oil, add oil and cilantro in a blender. Blend until light green and homogenous.
- Strain through a cheesecloth and reserve.
- For the coconut sauce, in a small pot over medium-high heat, mix coconut milk, peppercorns, cloves, lime leaves, cinnamon, shallot, garlic, and lemongrass. Bring to a gentle simmer and steep for 30 minutes to infuse.
- Remove from heat and add fish sauce and juice of half a lime.
- Before serving, strain the coconut sauce and discard the solids, return to heat.
- Brush sambal onto the mango slices.
- For the crab, defrost and use scissors to remove the large top muscle. Cut the meat into 2.5-inch (5.75 cm) lengths and square off both ends. Reserve the remainder for another use.
- Heat one to two tablespoons (15 to 30 ml) of clarified butter (enough to cover the bottom of the skillet with a little extra to baste, as needed) in a small skillet over medium heat. Warm the crab in the butter before serving, do not overcook.
- To serve, add some cilantro oil into the coconut sauce. Swirl gently, just allowing it to ‘marble’ the sauce, not completely combine.
- Place a small amount of the sauce mixture on the plate.
- Brush the sambal off of the mango slices. Place the mango slice on the plate beside the sauce.
- Grate lime zest over the crab portion, place crab over mango.
