It probably won’t surprise you, but I woke up this morning with supper on my mind. What to focus on today – seafood species or cooking technique? Once I got to the market, the species choice was easy; Dungeness crab.
The Dungeness crab gets its name from the town of Dungeness, located near Sequim, Washington in Clallam County, on the beautiful Olympic Peninsula.
In most cases, you will find Dungeness whole, cooked and previously frozen. This has to do with processing. If you live near the coast and can find them fresh-off-the-boat, by all means buy them!
Today, I bought mine as described above, whole, cooked and previously frozen. I purchased two crabs at 1.5 pound each for about $20. It was a bit of a splurge, but I couldn’t help it. It was as if these bright orange babies wanted me to rescue them from their icy beds and take them back to my warm (experimental) kitchen.
Now, in terms of cooking technique, I have not committed to one idea. I have committed to three.
The process starts with cleaning the crab.
As I thought about the first dish that I’d make, I realized that I had a variety of frozen seafood in the freezer. I decided to make one of the recipes from my cookbook – seafood gumbo. It was fantastic!
For the next recipe, I had to call my mom for a bit a advice. I wanted to crab ‘n dumplings but I could’t remember her secret ingredient. I called her and she told me that it was baking powder. It helps the dumplings, made from flour and water, become fluffy and tender.
For my final dish, I wanted to create something that would help clean my palate after the savory gumbo and rich crab ‘n dumplings. I reached for a pack of glass noodles that I always have on-hand. I fell in love with glass noodles after researching Vietnamese cuisine and I use them as often as possible.
The final product was delicious!
It was a beautiful evening!
