Hole-E-Smokes and Crabs

Chef Wil · August 2005

<p />just recieved my hole-e-smokes silicon grilling mats today. Man oh Man, these mats are nice. Pictured are soft shell crabs, stuffed with crab cakes, wrapped in bacon. Cooked indirect on the silicon mat at 375 degrees for 19 minutes using 1 chunk of guava wood for added flavor. Reason for the mat? Did wanna put any cornmeal on the baking stone, didn't want a gritty crab. Cooked on the mat, removed from egg, and plated. This is not an endorsement for hole-e-smokes or the BBQ Guru people, this is just my preferred way of cooking the crabs. Now I can't wait to make chicken jalapeno sausage without having to use casings.
Heres the recipe:
6 large soft shell crabs........ cleaned
Crabcake mix:
24 saltine crackers, 2 large whole eggs, 1 cup heavy whipping cream, 2 teaspoons of old bay seasonoing. Blend until smooth. Add to 1 pound of jumbo lump crabmeat.[p]Divide crabmeat mixture into 6 portions and top off each crab with the appropriate amount of crab cake, fold in the legs and claws, wrap each crab using a slice of thin bacon tucking ends underneath the crab. Season lightly and cook on the BGE.

Nature Boy · August 2005

Chef Wil,
That looks insanely yummy.
Nice. Interesting use of the whipping cream instead of the standard (up here) mayo. Do you whisk the eggs and cream together first?
Cheers mang!
Chris

TheHulk · August 2005

Chef Wil,[p]That looks awesome....Ticks me off I live in an area where getting good fresh crab, scallops, etc. cost so much...[p]I would love to try a few of these seafood treasures...[p]Good job Chef...

Chef Wil · August 2005

Nature Boy,
no, I process the crackers first, add the old bay and eggs, pulse a few times, then add the cream, pulse 2 or 3 times and thats it, if you blend too long or pulse too many times your cream turns to butter.The cream becomes part of the binder thus not needing as much crackers. The crabcake cooks up real light as though its almost a mousse.
And with your Dizzy Pig rubs instead of the old bay.... DUDE, you know the rest of the story !!!
Beers@ya Man.

Unknown · August 2005

Chef Wil,[p]but I can't just eat whole crabs. Oh, I'm sure they're good and all that..but for some reason I get a vision of me having myself in the unenviable position of finding myself with a crab claw stucking straight out of mine worst part..and then bending over and asking the little misses if she'll help me out with that little problem. Sheegolly..just the thought of that gives me the hibbey jibbeys...and worse than that is the fact that I'm pretty sure I'd not only get no help at all (despite the fact that I'd be dangling some mighty fine bright green extra heavy playtex dish washing gloves in her face at the time)..but my crab infested behind would most probably be sprayed with a mouthfull of extra warm expensive wine just for asking for help.[p]CP[p]

Chef Wil · August 2005

Crabby Pants,
with a response like that, I'd venture to say your a Cranium kuzzin of Stump........ hahahaha

Car Wash Mike · August 2005

Chef Wil,
I'm still looking for that magic King Crab Leg recipe on the egg for next Friday.
Mike

Seattle Todd · August 2005

Eggcredible Hulk,[p]Well if it ever comes to be just swing on up to the Pacific Northwest Eggfest! Plenty of good seafood here and for the most part it's cheap. [p]Todd

dhuffjr · August 2005

Nature Boy,
That is the first one I have ever seen. Being a strictly no mayo kinda person I'm saving this one. Fresh crab meat or what else can you use?[p]Dennis

TheHulk · August 2005

Thanks for the invite....would love a trip to the PacNorthW.

Nature Boy · August 2005

Thanks Wil. I will have to try that. When we served crabcakes at the competition in Canada, I still remember the judge commenting on the mayo. Then again, I am spoiled with fat lump Maryland crabmeat usually, and we had to use this pulverized claw meat in Canada. Yuck. So they weren't very good to begin with. Your method sounds pleasantly rich and nice, and a nice change of pace.
Cold ones back toya Wil.

Nature Boy · August 2005

<p />Howdy Dennis,
"Fresh crab meat or what else can you use?"[p]Once you try pure fresh lump crabmeat, you will not use anything else. Sometimes I will mix in a little backfin to kinda hold the chunks together, but you better pick the shells first![p]Wish I could afford them more often. Nothing in the world like a good fresh crabcake. It could be the perfect food.
Cheers
Chris

Hole-E-Smokes and Crabs

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