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Best Crab Appetizer Recipe from Fisherman's Wharf

Fisherman's Wharf, which has been the home of San Francisco's colorful fishing fleet for nearly a century and a quarter, is world famous for its wide variety of ocean fish. Much of this fame is due to the annual harvest of that most delectable of all crustaceans, the Dungeness crab of San Francisco.

The opening of crab season in November is a festive occasion. It is the day when cauldrons along Fisherman's Wharf are lighted, ready to receive boxes piled high with Dungeness crab hoisted from the decks of the first boats that come chuffing back into port. It is a time for gourmet feasting that will last through the months that follow.For a list of restaurants in Fisherman's Wharf click here.

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Here is a compilation of favorite crab recipes from restaurants at Fisherman's Wharf.  For more information on dining and restaurant hours click on the restaurant's name.

Crab Cioppino for Four

Alioto's

Ingredients
2 Fresh live crabs (1 ½ to 2 lbs. each)
1/8 C. Olive oil, 2 Cloves fresh garlic, chopped
Crab butter
1 C Dry white wine
¼ C onions, chopped fine
8 Prawns
16 Manila clams, well scrubbed
16 Mussels, well scrubbed
1 clam juice or fresh broth
2 cups crushed tomatoes, peeled and seeded
1 1/2 cups Tomato sauce
As need chopped parsley
To taste Salt and Pepper
To taste Red pepper Flakes

Method
Prepare tomato sauce ( recipe follows)
Proceed with Cioppino recipe

Tomato Sauce
½ cup Olive oil
1 onion chopped
6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
40-ounces canned, chopped tomatoes & pureed
18 Basil leaves, julienned
Salt & pepper to taste

Instructions
In an 8 quart kettle or Pot, heat the olive oil and sauté the onions until transparent.  Add the garlic and sauté until it begins to brown. Stir in crab butter and let cook slowly for 2 minutes (crab butter is saffron yellow in color and adds a distinctive rich flavor). Next, add the wine, and reduce. Add tomatoes and tomato sauce, broth and .live crab. Cook mixture at a simmer for about 5 minutes. Cover and continue to simmer at low heat for about 5 minutes.  Add prawns, clams, mussels, and cook for 2 more minutes. Serve in a bowl and sprinkle with fresh parsley. Add salt, pepper to taste. If your crab is cooked ahead of time, add it to the recipe at the same time you add the clams, prawns and mussels.

Dungeness Crab Pot Pie
Bistro Boudin

Ingredients

Flaky Pastry:
2 1/4 cups Flour
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/4 cup Cold unsalted butter --cut into bits
1/2 cup Cold vegetable shortening --cut into bits
1/4 cup Ice water
1 Egg --lightly beaten with
1 tablespoon Water --for egg wash

Filling:
9 tablespoons Unsalted butter
1 cup Finely-chopped onions
1/2 cup sliced celery
1/3 cup minced carrots
1/4 pound mushrooms --sliced
1 1/2 cups fish stock
1/2 cup dry white wine or white vermouth
Bouquet garnish consisting of
12 Parsley sprigs --tied together with
1 Teaspoon dried thyme --plus
6 Peppercorns --and also
1 Bay leaf --in a cheesecloth bag
1 pound large shrimp --peeled divined
and halved lengthwise
1/2 pound Sea scallops --halved if large
1/2 pound Dungeness crab meat --picked over
1 1/2 cups Milk - --about
6 tablespoon Flour
1/4 cup Heavy cream
1/4 cup Freshly-grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup Minced fresh parsley
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
Freshly-grated nutmeg
Lemon juice
Salt --to taste
Freshly-ground black pepper --to taste

Instructions
Make flaky pastry: Into a mixing bowl sift flour and salt. Add butter and shortening and blend with a pastry blender or fingertips until it resembles coarse meal. Add water, stirring with a fork until dough comes together. If too dry, add a little more water. Gather
dough into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap and flatten into a disk. Chill at least 30 minutes, or may be prepared a day ahead.

Make filling:
Melt 3 tablespoons of butter over medium-low heat, add onions, celery, carrots and mushrooms, cover and cook 8 to 10 minutes, or until onion is soft. Uncover, fish stock, wine and bouquet garnish, bring to a simmer and stir in shrimp and scallops. Return to simmering, stirring, then remove pan from heat. Drain shellfish mixture, reserving liquid
and bouquet garnish separately. Measure poaching liquid and add enough milk to measure 3 1/2 cups. In a saucepan melt remaining butter, add flour and cook over medium-low heat, stirring, for 3 minutes. Add reserved poaching liquid and bouquet garnish and heat to simmering. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes. Discard bouquet garnish. Stir in cream, cheese, parsley, mustard, nutmeg and lemon juice; season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in shellfish mixture and crab meat and
transfer to a large buttered baking or gratin dish. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Roll out chilled dough on a lightly-floured work surface to 2 inches larger on all sides than baking dish. Drape crust loosely over filling, tuck edges into dish and crimp decoratively. Brush dough with egg wash. Cut several slits in top of pie. If you have extra dough, cut them into decorative fish shapes, arrange on top of pie and brush again with egg wash. Bake pie until top is dark golden brown and filling bubbles around edges, 35 to 40 minutes. If filling begins to bubble out of pan, place a baking sheet on oven rack below pie. Serve
whole pie at table. This recipe yields 6 to 8 servings.



Blue Mermaid

Award Winning Dungeness Crab and Corn Chowder

Ingredients
2.5 quarts apple-wood smoked bacon
5 diced onions
5 diced celery
2 oz chipotle powder
4 quarts pasilla chili diced
2 jalapeno peppers sliced in half with no seeds
5 diced Yukon gold potatoes
Crab base to taste.
2 gallons heavy cream
6 oz of cream cheese
1 sheet pan roasted corn
1/2 cup chipotle powder
1/2 cup Old Bay Seasoning

Instructions
STEP 1: Add 2.5 quarts diced apple-wood smoked bacon, render the bacon then add 5 diced onions, and 5 diced celery. Saute for 5 minutes.

Add 2oz chipotle powder. Add 4 quarts pasilla chili diced, and 2 jalapeno peppers sliced in half with.no seeds.

STEP 2: Add 5 diced Yukon gold potatoes.  Add enough water to cover potatoes.  Add crab base to taste.

Bring to a boil until potatoes are aldiente.  DO NOT OVERCOOK.

STEP 3: Add 2 gallons heavy cream.  Puree 6 oz of cream cheese with some of the chowder. Add to chowder.

Add roux until right consistency which is velvety and not too thick.

Finish with 1 sheet pan roasted corn,1/2 cup chipotle powder, and 1/2 cup Old Bay Seasoning.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Yields 12 gallons.

Garlic Roasted Dungeness
"Killer" Crab

Crab House

Ingredients 
3 to 4 Dungeness crabs(2+lbs each)
cooked and cleaned(boil)reserve the head butter
1 cup dry white wine
3 tables olive oil(+ more for brushing)
2 tables minced shallots
1 rosemary sprig (minced leaves)
1 tspn. minced fresh thyme
2 tblsp. pink peppercorn(or Szechwan)
2 tblsp. canola oil
8 to 10 garlic cloves smashed
minced parsley(for garnish)
garlic salt for sprinkling

Instructions
1. Place the crabs claws down in baking dish.
2. In a blender process the reserved crab butter with 1/2 cup of the wine(till smooth and creamy) set aside.
3. Preheat oven(350)
4. In a large sauce pan heat the olive oil(medium flame), add the rest of the ingredients(minus the garlic) sauté (3 minutes)(shallots must be translucent).
5. Add the butter mixture and the rest of the white wine cook (low flame)10 min.
(stirring occasionally) remove from heat (skim any clumps from the top)
let cool(3-4 min.)
6. Pass through a meshed sieve into the sauce pan
add the mushed garlic whisk until blended.
7. Ladle all but 1/4 cup of the butter sauce over the crabs roast
for 20-25 minutes (till crab meat at the joint ends looks crisp)
8. Arrange crab on serving platter, sprinkle with salt and parsley (brush shells with olive oil (for beautiful shine)
serve immediately with rest of sauce for dipping.



Fog Harbor Fish House

Dungeness Crab Melt Sandwich

Ingredients
1 ½  Cup — Sweet Onions, small diced and sautéed
2.5 lbs. — Dungeness Crab Meat
1 ½ Cups — Mayonnaise
1 Cup — Shaved Asiago Parmesan Cheese
¾  oz. — Fresh Parsley chopped
½ Cup — Green Onions small chopped
¾  oz. — Yellow Mustard
12 shakes — Tabasco sauce
½ tsp. — Black Pepper
¾  oz. — Old Bay seasoning

Sliced sourdough bread or any sliced bread
Butter
Olive oil
Sliced tomatoes
Asiago Parmesan

Instructions
Small dice the onions. Heat up a sauté pan with olive oil.  Add the onions and sauté till translucent about 3-5 minutes. Cool the onions. In a bowl combine the remaining ingredients and fold in together until all product is mixed in being careful not to break up the crab meat. When onions have cooled fold into the crab mix and cool.

To order butter the slices of bread and grill till golden and toasted. Heat up the crab mix using 5 oz. per sandwich. Put crab mix on the non buttered side of the bread. Place 2 slices of tomatoes on top of the crab mix. Sprinkle more of the Asiago Parmesan on top of the tomatoes. Put in broiler till cheese gets melted with some color on it.

To serve place the bread with the crab on it on the plate and place a slice of toasted bread on top. Serve with a side salad or French fries.

Foggy Wharf Salad

Franciscan

The salad is named for the fog that rolls in every afternoon off San Francisco Bay. Fresh spring mix baby greens, crispy fried wonton strips, sesame seeds, bright colored “toy box tomatoes” and local heirloom tomatoes, tossed in a soy sesame oil dressing that perfectly accents our Dungenness crab.

Ingredients
 ¼ cup rice vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
2 tablespoons sesame oil
¼ cup low-sodium soy sauce
10 to 12 ( 4 inch ) round wonton wrappers
Canola oil for deep frying
4 cups mixed baby greens
1 cup toy box cherry tomatoes
1 medium size ripe heirloom tomato
8 ounces fresh crab meat (1 cup)
3 tablespoons toasted black sesame seeds
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions
In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, sugar, ginger, sesame oil, and soy sauce. Set aside.

Stack the wonton wrappers on a cutting board and cut them into matchsticks. In a large heavy skillet, heat 1 to 2 inches over canola oil over high heat to 375 F. The oil should be hot and bubbly. Scatter the strips into the oil, several at the time. Fry for 30 seconds to 1 minute, until the strips curl and become golden brown and crisp. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a paper towel to drain.

In a large bowl, gently toss together the baby greens, cherry and heirloom tomatoes, and all but a few wonton strips. Pour the dressing over the top and toss again. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Divide among serving plates and arrange the crab meat on top. Sprinkle with the sesame seeds and the remaining wonton strips and serve.





McCormick & Kuleto's

Meyer Lemon Custard

Ingredients
12 Meyer’s lemons
16 large eggs
16 large egg yolks
8 cups heavy cream
2 tsp. kosher salt
1 pinch of sugar
Ground white pepper to taste

Instructions
Grate and reserve lemon zest. Cut away all pith and discard. Cut lemon in half and remove seeds. Combine lemons (not zest), eggs, yolks, cream, salt and sugar in blender. Puree until smooth. Strain into bowl season with pepper and add zest. Skim off foam layer. In hotel pan place ramekins & fill 2/3 full with custard. Fill hotel pan with hot water ½ way up the sides of the ramekins. Cover with double layer of plastic wrap and poke holes at each end. Bake at 300 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until edges are lightly brown and custard is almost set. Let cool in hot water for 10 minutes and then remove and allow dish to cool completely.

Meyer Lemon Custard Plate with Dungeness Crab

Ingredients
1 custard
1 oz fresh Dungeness crab
1 tsp. American black caviar
¼ cup assorted citrus segments
Squeeze chive essence.

Instructions
Invert custard on plate. Disperse citrus segments around custard. Top with Dungeness crab and add caviar. Garnish plate with chive essence.

Whole Roasted Cracked
Dungeness Crab

Scoma's

Ingredients
1 Whole Crab Dungeness (Cleaned and Cracked: ask your fishmonger to do it for you )
3 Each Large Garlic Cloves Chopped- lightly browned
2-3 oz Extra Virgin Olive oil
1⁄2 Lemon, juiced fresh
1/8 tsp Salt and ground pepper each
1 tsp. Chopped Fresh Parsley
2 sliced lemon wedge


Instructions

  1. Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees. Put cracked crab in oven in a heavy skillet that
    will fit.
  2. Pour the garlic, olive oil mixture into the crab and add salt and pepper and toss together well.
  3. Put into 425-degree oven for 12-15 minutes. Remove from oven and squeeze a 1⁄2 fresh lemon over crab.
  4. It should be steaming as you do this.
SERVING SUGGESTIONS
Garnish the Whole Roasted Cracked Dungeness Cab, with fresh chopped Italian parsley and lemon wedge. Serve in a large bowl with crab crackers and crab fork.

 
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