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| What You Need: |
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1 tablespoon butter, softened, plus 7 tablespoons butter, cut into ½-inch bits
2 cups plus 2 tablespoons soft fresh crumbs made from French- or Italian-type white bread, pulverized in a blender
¼ cup fish stock or ¼ cup fresh or bottled clam broth
¼ cup finely chopped onions
¾ pound fresh, frozen or canned crabmeat thoroughly drained and picked over to remove all bits of shell and cartilage
½ cup finely chopped scallions, including 3 inches of the green tops
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley, preferably the flat-leaf Italian variety
½ teaspoon ground hot red pepper (cayenne)
½ teaspoon salt
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| How To Cook: |
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1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. With a pastry brush, spread the tablespoon of softened butter evenly over the bottoms of six medium-sized natural or ceramic crab or scallop shells. Combine 2 cups of the bread crumbs with the fish stock or clam broth in a bowl, mix well and set aside.
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2. In a heavy 10-inch skillet, melt 4 tablespoons of the butter bits over moderate heat. Add the onions and, stirring frequently, cook for about 5 minutes, or until they are soft and translucent but not brown.
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3. Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the moistened bread crumbs, the crabmeat, scallions, parsley, red pepper and salt. Taste for seasoning.
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4. Spoon the crabmeat mixture into the buttered shells, dividing it equally among them and slightly mounding the centers. Sprinkle the remaining 2 tablespoons of bread crumbs and the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter bits over the tops and arrange the crab or scallop shells side by side in a large shallow baking dish.
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5. Bake the stuffed crabs in the upper third of the oven for 15 minutes, then slide them under the broiler for 30 seconds or so to brown the tops, if desired. Serve at once, directly from the shells.
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To Serve: 6 as a first course
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