Snow crab legs 

When you look at it, especially if you imagine it alive, a little fear puts it on you. Its extraordinary size and powerful armor make it truly majestic. To stand out is the King Crab, a very delicious crustacean, a real king of crabs. Think that a specimen reaches an average weight of around 3/5 kg but, in some cases it can even reach 12! The evolutionary path of this species is very fascinating. Adult females, in fact, incubate thousands of embryos under the tail for about a year and then release them into the current. A curiosity? The newborn larvae do not have at all the appearance of a miniature crab but their transformation takes place during many months and many changes and it is only at this point that they go to settle on the seabed.

The fishing of these Pacific jewels is done with pots or traps so as to keep them alive and perfect before being delivered to the establishments where they are dissected and divided into bunches of legs and immediately cooked to preserve the freshness of the meat as much as possible. Why paws? Because they are the ones who contain the whitest and most tender meat with a naturally sweet taste! An extraordinary flavor that represents an authentic gem in modern gastronomy so much so that they are often served simply natural, perhaps accompanied with melted butter. The King Krab should be defrosted in the refrigerator overnight and then cooked for no more than 10 minutes. In fact, we must not forget that it has already been cooked freshly caught. The giant crab, also called king crab, is a crustacean with very long legs. It is usually cooked immediately after capture and frozen to preserve its freshness. The tender white pulp is cooked only for a few minutes and then served with butter. You can learn how to prepare steamed, baked, boiled or grilled paws. Its rarity and unmistakable flavor make it an extraordinary culinary experience that is worth trying at least once in a lifetime, like a journey to unexplored taste worlds.

Ingredients

Ingredients

600 gr of fresh crabs 

300 gr of tomatoes for sauce

250 gr of tomato puree 

250 gr of peeled tomatoes 

1 ml of extra virgin olive oil 

2 onions

4 leaves of fresh basil 

salt and pepper

1 fresh chili pepper

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Take a large baking sheet and cover it with aluminum foil. Cut the paws at the level of the joints with kitchen scissors. Put them on top of the baking sheet. Boil some water. Pour 120 ml into the baking dish, water should completely cover the bottom. Cooking shellfish with steam or water prevents them from becoming dry and chewy. Flavor the paws with herbs and aromas with garlic or dill. Sprinkle the crustacean with lemon juice. Put more wedges in the pan. Cover your paws with aluminum foil and try to seal the edges as best you can. Put the baking tray in the oven for 10 minutes. At the end of cooking, remove the pan from the oven. Break your paws to see if they are warm inside, and if so, serve them immediately with melted butter.

First you need to engage in the crustacean, then wash the crab and boil it in salted water for at least 10 minutes. Subsequently, the legs are detached and the carapace opens, removing the upper part; Remove the eggs and set aside. Then the claws are broken with the nutcracker or pliers and the pulp is extracted, it is reduced to puree and combined with the eggs. First of all, a self-respecting crab sauce must have a thousand typically Mediterranean aromas. Sautéed with onion, peeled and finely peeled, together with the highest quality extra virgin olive oil. When the onion is slightly golden, add the tomato sauce and peeled tomatoes, remembering to season with salt and pepper. To give even more consistency and get a thick dressing, the idea of combining tomatoes from sauce is winning, you can simply add them or blanch them first, in order to eliminate the skin. While the sauce is going, after half an hour, add the meat of the crab and eggs, basil and hot pepper.

After 10 minutes over low heat, the sauce is shrinking, it's the right time to decide how to use it. If the idea is that of a pasta, dip the spaghetti, paccheri or cavatelli directly into the sauce, with a tablespoon of cooking water, mixing well. Otherwise, remove the crab sauce from the heat and bring it directly to the table, enriched with croutons of bread, to be dipped directly, for a very delicious appetizer. For this recipe, are indicated white wines of Salento savory and minerals that contrast the sweetness of crab and tomato, preparing the palate and renewing the flavor with every bite.