It is breakfast time, and you have a pile of crab in your little refrigerator from all those crustaceans you just couldn't eat. What to do, what to do?
For two people - expand as necessary.
Crab Omelets
1 handful of body meat (leg meat would work too)
1 handful of shredded swiss cheese or 2 slices
3 eggs, beaten
salt and pepper
leftover, crabby butter from the crab cracking -or-
a little oil
a skillet or flat bottomed wok
Beat the eggs, add a pinch of salt & barely any pepper.
Heat a tsp. or so of butter or oil in the pan. Test with a drop of egg to make sure it sizzles.
Pour 1/2 the egg mixture into the pan. Roll the pan around to make sure the bottom gets covered.
As the egg starts to solidify, shake the pan to loosen the omelet.
When the egg is no longer liquid - but still soft - lay down the cheese along the center, then half the crab.
Roll or fold the omelet.
Let it sit in the pan just another moment.
Slide onto a plate - get someone to eat it hot.
Repeat the whole thing, and eat this one hot all by yourself!
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Crab Melts
A great quick lunch (or dinner) when you want something hot, and are loaded up with crabby goodness.
Crab Melts
Left over bread from cracked crab night -or-
Toasted English muffins (sourdough is my favorite)
(I like to toast them at about 350F for 10 min or so to make the top crispy - this is optional, but keeps the bread from getting soggy.)
Enough Crab Salad to cover the bread
1 slice swiss cheese
Spread a nice thick layer of the crab salad over the toast, pop the cheese on top, and warm in the oven (350F) until the cheese melts.
Serve with some fruit or veg.
Yum!
Crab Melts
Left over bread from cracked crab night -or-
Toasted English muffins (sourdough is my favorite)
(I like to toast them at about 350F for 10 min or so to make the top crispy - this is optional, but keeps the bread from getting soggy.)
Enough Crab Salad to cover the bread
1 slice swiss cheese
Spread a nice thick layer of the crab salad over the toast, pop the cheese on top, and warm in the oven (350F) until the cheese melts.
Serve with some fruit or veg.
Yum!
Garlic Bread on a Boat
Garlic bread in the galley means taking advantage of what you have, and not missing what's not there.
To keep the bread in good shape I get a hard crusted loaf (one you can flick with a finger, and it doesn't dent), in the frozen and/or par-baked state, if I can get it (If your local grocery has "fresh baked bread" talk to the bakery counter. They have it in back).
I bring this bread on board already cut in half (just because my crew is small) and frozen in a sturdy, closable plastic bag. When it is time for bread, I leave it out to thaw if it hasn't already, slice it, place the pieces in the bottom of the broiler pan that came with my oven, and bake it at 350 for about 8 - 10 minutes. Really until the edges are starting to get a little crispy, and it smells like bread.
Garlic Butter (an excellent job for idle crew - increase recipe as needed)
When you take out the bread to thaw, pull out half a stick of butter (4 Tbs) and let it warm up in a sturdy cup or small bowl.
When it is smoosh-able by fork, stir in
1 clove mined garlic (or 1/2 tsp powdered garlic)
salt to taste
Simply serve this at the table for all to spread on their toasty bread as they would like.
To keep the bread in good shape I get a hard crusted loaf (one you can flick with a finger, and it doesn't dent), in the frozen and/or par-baked state, if I can get it (If your local grocery has "fresh baked bread" talk to the bakery counter. They have it in back).
I bring this bread on board already cut in half (just because my crew is small) and frozen in a sturdy, closable plastic bag. When it is time for bread, I leave it out to thaw if it hasn't already, slice it, place the pieces in the bottom of the broiler pan that came with my oven, and bake it at 350 for about 8 - 10 minutes. Really until the edges are starting to get a little crispy, and it smells like bread.
Garlic Butter (an excellent job for idle crew - increase recipe as needed)
When you take out the bread to thaw, pull out half a stick of butter (4 Tbs) and let it warm up in a sturdy cup or small bowl.
When it is smoosh-able by fork, stir in
1 clove mined garlic (or 1/2 tsp powdered garlic)
salt to taste
Simply serve this at the table for all to spread on their toasty bread as they would like.
A Big Green Salad on the Boat
Salads are one place where Julia Child really gets the first "Last Word."
It is all about the dressing, and as she said, there is nothing like one made fresh.
In a galley, where refrigerator space is at a premium, giving up real estate to a salad dressing bottle is out of the question. So, what to do instead? Use the pantry ingredients that have other jobs, but were always intended for making salad dressing.
All successful oil & vinegar or vinaigrette dressings have just a few essential elements, and the rest is poetic license. You just need a fat, an acid, an emulsifier and some seasoning. Such an open ended recipe is perfect for the galley cook working at the end the stores, or with unfamiliar material.
Fat can be oil, melted butter, or even bacon drippings (yum...) or some combination. For acid we often think of vinegar, but it can be a citrus juice or anything sour. Mixes of acids from what you have on hand can make some serendipitous flavors (lime juice and rice vinegar, lemon and balsamic).
The job of the emulsifier is to add body to the dressing by getting the oil to hook itself to the vinegar even if just for a little while. Mustard (prepared or powdered), egg yolks & anchovy paste all fit the bill, and have a decent chance of being on board. Mayonnaise will even work in a pinch, since that is a vinaigrette that has just been whipped to another state - peek at the ingredients to see what I mean.
Seasonings are all about personal style. I like to add salt and pepper to taste, and usually a minced clove of garlic (or the powdered equivalent). This is a great place for seasoning salt or your secret spice blend.
1 tsp mustard (or 1/2 tsp dry mustard)
1 garlic clove chopped fine (or 1/2 tsp garlic powder)
1 Tbs vinegar or citrus juice - a little more if using powdered ingredients
A pinch of salt and pepper
Mix these together with a fork in a cup or in the salad bowl. Then while stirring, slowly pour in
2 Tbs oil
All these ingredients can also be put into a small jar/tupperware and shaken vigorously by some crew member just sitting there, watching the cook work.
Toss this with whatever tender, leafy greens you get your hands on - lettuce, cabbage, spinach, and add in thin slices of whatever vegetables and/or tart fruits are on hand. Some excellent combinations include; onions & mandarin orange slices, tart apples & celery, onions & sour plums.
This, of course, all works on dry land too.
It is all about the dressing, and as she said, there is nothing like one made fresh.
In a galley, where refrigerator space is at a premium, giving up real estate to a salad dressing bottle is out of the question. So, what to do instead? Use the pantry ingredients that have other jobs, but were always intended for making salad dressing.
All successful oil & vinegar or vinaigrette dressings have just a few essential elements, and the rest is poetic license. You just need a fat, an acid, an emulsifier and some seasoning. Such an open ended recipe is perfect for the galley cook working at the end the stores, or with unfamiliar material.
Fat can be oil, melted butter, or even bacon drippings (yum...) or some combination. For acid we often think of vinegar, but it can be a citrus juice or anything sour. Mixes of acids from what you have on hand can make some serendipitous flavors (lime juice and rice vinegar, lemon and balsamic).
The job of the emulsifier is to add body to the dressing by getting the oil to hook itself to the vinegar even if just for a little while. Mustard (prepared or powdered), egg yolks & anchovy paste all fit the bill, and have a decent chance of being on board. Mayonnaise will even work in a pinch, since that is a vinaigrette that has just been whipped to another state - peek at the ingredients to see what I mean.
Seasonings are all about personal style. I like to add salt and pepper to taste, and usually a minced clove of garlic (or the powdered equivalent). This is a great place for seasoning salt or your secret spice blend.
The measurements are standard, but do not suffer from being eyeballed, and then adjusted as you go.
Dressing for a Big Green Salad
1 tsp mustard (or 1/2 tsp dry mustard)
1 garlic clove chopped fine (or 1/2 tsp garlic powder)
1 Tbs vinegar or citrus juice - a little more if using powdered ingredients
A pinch of salt and pepper
Mix these together with a fork in a cup or in the salad bowl. Then while stirring, slowly pour in
2 Tbs oil
All these ingredients can also be put into a small jar/tupperware and shaken vigorously by some crew member just sitting there, watching the cook work.
Toss this with whatever tender, leafy greens you get your hands on - lettuce, cabbage, spinach, and add in thin slices of whatever vegetables and/or tart fruits are on hand. Some excellent combinations include; onions & mandarin orange slices, tart apples & celery, onions & sour plums.
This, of course, all works on dry land too.
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Day 7 - Part I - Hutong; the Market
Today was the day Tavin and I went for a guided tour of an everyday market in a Hutong.
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| Thank you Sophia! |
What, you ask, is a Hutong? Quickly, they are the traditional local communities that used to make up Beijing (and I suspect most urban centers throughout China). Each one has many houses, connected wall to wall. Courtyards within the walls, small streets for travelling between. Along with the houses, they are inhabited with small specialty shops and a central market for daily shopping.
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| The Hutong Excellent place to learn about all things Beijing - old and new |
Tavin and I were instructed to arrive at this particular house at 9am sharp. It turned out to be a welcoming hangout for both visitors and Ex-Pats of all sorts. Due to the vagaries of subway and sidewalk travel, paired with finding our way to somewhere we had never been, we gave ourselves plenty of time.
This is when I also learned many houses, even now, in the Beijing Hutong have only a cold running tap, and are not plumbed for sewage.
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| What's a chamber pot? Oh, you modern kids. |
Since Murphy’s Law was intact, we arrived 20 minutes early. And we found the ‘neighborhood’ toilet. We got to see part of the parade of the locals going into the toilet (which was a modern flush facility – though squat only) to empty their plastic chamber pots.
Sophia greeted us with tea, and since it was plenty chilly, we held it and drank it gratefully. As I had mentioned earlier, Late January is the slow tourist season, for so many reasons. Result? Tavin and I were the only Tourists. Loved It!
I discovered that a childhood in the Seattle area, particularly wandering Uwajimaya and Pike Place market had prepared me well for the offerings of a northern Chinese Market. Watching a *few* hours of Iron Chef (both versions) didn't hurt either.
Why specify “Northern” Chinese? Well, you go south, and things get tropical, and that is NOT what a PNW girl knows. Further, there is a greater use of dairy, dried lentils and beans, wheat, millet and other grains in addition to rice. This made for much more I could identify or guess at intelligently.
When you look at this - remember, this is LATE JANUARY, and it is literally Freezing Cold outside. This *whole market* is about the size of your local large grocery store's produce department - or a big 7-11. The variety of Fresh Food is staggering! The prepared food is tofu, cleaned fish, bread & pickles. The only packaged food are some spices and yogurt.
While we may turn our nose up at a country/world wide food-o-sphere, I think that's just because we (the US) has gone the wrong way with it.
OK, just look:
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| Tofu - noodles, sheets, smoked, frozen, stinky, fried and regular |
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| Clockwise from top left corner - cilantro w/ roots mushrooms, Anaheim-type chili pepper, cucumber (with blossoms so you know it is fresh) & turnip |
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| L to R: Potatoes, garlic scapes, lotus root, summer squash, cauliflower |
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| L to R: Enormous radishes, turnips, long radishes & carrots |
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| L to R: lotus roots, lettuce roots & daikon (roots). |
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| Mushroom-a-rama, pea pods & celery |
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| Clockwise from 12: Iceberg lettuce (really!) globe eggplant, summer squash, tomatoes, daikon, shitake mushrooms, lotus root, Japanese eggplant, carrots, potatoes & onions |
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| L to R: garlic scapes, cucumbers (again blossoms as freshness measure) lettuce roots, leeks. All this produce in Feb - while freezing outside? greenhouses & transport are important in China |
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| The deli hot-case: all manner of barbecue, sausages and braised, spiced meats. Don't miss the 4 preps of chicken feet; steamed, fried, curry spice & barbecue |
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| Basically a Chinese antipasto bar: all sorts of pickled and spiced veg, tofu mushrooms, noodles and salads |
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| Noodles - bottom left savory donuts, toast, sesame cakes and chili fried peanuts in the pan |
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| Fried bread, steamed bread (hum-bao!) and an egg sandwich! See you can get a sandwich in China, You just need to know where to look. |
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| Top to bottom: lentils, beans, beans, rice & millet |
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| more beans and grains - including chick peas, black beans & black rice in the bottom row. |
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| 2 millet-y grains |
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| Chicken parts, chicken & the infamous Black Chicken (better for its broth than its meat I have been told) |
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| Clockwise from top left: pork kidneys, pork ankles, pork bellies, ?, chicken wings, breasts, drumsticks, chicken feet, pork livers |
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| Eggs! Fresh chicken (brown & white), preserved chicken duck & quail |
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| Pickled everything! bamboo shoots, lettuce, mushrooms eggplants, cabbage & strange tuber-y things |
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| All sorts of spicy pickles - garlic, chilis, tofu, veg & ???? |
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| Seafood! fish, squids & bamboo shoots... |
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| Fresh frogs! Live inna tank. |
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| Spices! Dried chilis, chili flakes pepper corns & whole star anise |
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| Dried mushrooms, roots nutmegs (w/ & w/out mace) & lots of stuff I don't recognize. |
At last Tavin and I got our hands on the (so far) fabled excellent drinking yogurt of Beijing. And it was good. Milky, and tart with a hint of sweetness (traditionally honey). The fun bit was, as tourists, they want you to drink it RIGHT THERE, as they are expecting those nice porcelain jars back. A local could take a few home, but we had to drink the yogurt all up, and leave them in the bin with the other empties.
This is the market within walking distance of a HUGE number of people. Americans have gas station convenience stores or 7-11's serving this purpose. A TOTALLY different view of feeding ourselves. I can't say more.
Dungeness Crab Salad
The best part about crab salad is once you have made it, it can go in the refrigerator/cooler and then you have the base for a few quick meals while under way, or after a long day.
And you can make as little or as much as you want based on the number of crab legs/claws you have left over from the crab cracking the night before.
Since this is the galley edition, the amounts are all going be very approximate, and proportional, since you will always have the amount of crab meat you have.
And since this is my blog, I urge you, as always, to go with your own taste as the final judge.
Ingredients:
Picked leg and claw meat (can use body meat, but that's so good for crab cakes & crepes &...)
Celery and/or Parsley
Red Pepper or Paprika
Onion (purple or sweet or green or...) or Garlic
Mayonnaise
Salt
Lemon or Lime juice
For each heaping cup/large handful of crab meat:
dice or chop fine about 1/4 that amount of Celery and Red pepper (if using paprika, sprinkle in to your taste at the end).
dice a piece of onion slightly bigger than your thumb, or crush and mince a clove of garlic
Toss all these together, and add about a tablespoon of mayonnaise, a pinch of salt and the juice from half a lemon.
Stir together and taste.
Adjust the amounts of ingredients to your taste.
What can you do with this?
Serve it over some of your Big Green Salad - with some warm bread on the side.
Put some on an English muffin (a toasted sourdough one is my favorite), and melt some swiss cheese over it. - Crab Melt! Beats the flippers off any tuna or patty melt out there.
And if you do bring crab home, and make it there... and there's just too much to eat - it FREEZES! It is not quite as amazing as fresh.... but what is?
However, you can keep it in the freezer for a few weeks, thaw it in the fridge, and enjoy it your favorite way when you want to impress friends, or just because you deserve more crab.
And you can make as little or as much as you want based on the number of crab legs/claws you have left over from the crab cracking the night before.
Since this is the galley edition, the amounts are all going be very approximate, and proportional, since you will always have the amount of crab meat you have.
And since this is my blog, I urge you, as always, to go with your own taste as the final judge.
Ingredients:
Picked leg and claw meat (can use body meat, but that's so good for crab cakes & crepes &...)
Celery and/or Parsley
Red Pepper or Paprika
Onion (purple or sweet or green or...) or Garlic
Mayonnaise
Salt
Lemon or Lime juice
For each heaping cup/large handful of crab meat:
dice or chop fine about 1/4 that amount of Celery and Red pepper (if using paprika, sprinkle in to your taste at the end).
dice a piece of onion slightly bigger than your thumb, or crush and mince a clove of garlic
Toss all these together, and add about a tablespoon of mayonnaise, a pinch of salt and the juice from half a lemon.
Stir together and taste.
Adjust the amounts of ingredients to your taste.
What can you do with this?
Serve it over some of your Big Green Salad - with some warm bread on the side.
Put some on an English muffin (a toasted sourdough one is my favorite), and melt some swiss cheese over it. - Crab Melt! Beats the flippers off any tuna or patty melt out there.
And if you do bring crab home, and make it there... and there's just too much to eat - it FREEZES! It is not quite as amazing as fresh.... but what is?
However, you can keep it in the freezer for a few weeks, thaw it in the fridge, and enjoy it your favorite way when you want to impress friends, or just because you deserve more crab.
Steamed Dungeness Crab
So you've made the leap - bought a crab trap and a can of tuna, and dropped it near some other crab pot floats.
You go back, pull it up, and you have crabs - and they are keepers. This is exciting!
Now what?
The bad news is you need to get these guys cooked pretty soon*.
The good news is cooking is as easy as boiling water, and after they are cooked, separating the tasty stuff from the yeuccchhhh is possibly even easier.
My Favorite Method**:
For the beginner - just leave the crabs whole and live. Rinse them well with sea water (fresh water is OK too). For the advanced crabber, get out your gloves, and clean and split the crabs first.
Get a hold of a pot with a Lid (essential) big enough to hold at least 1 crab, with some room to spare.
A "big, ol' crab cookin' pot" is great, but sometimes you just need to work with what you've got.
Line the bottom with smooth, flat rocks, the type that is easy to hold in your hand - the kind you'd think of as "skippin' stones."
[The rocks help hold heat. With the little dinky galley burners, it takes a long time to bring the water back to a boil, so getting the rocks helps speed the cooking. Wash them off and use them over and over. ]
Do you have to have rocks? Nope - but they are handy.
Fill the pot with about 1inch of water - just over the top of the stones.
Bring the water to a steamy boil.
Put the crab in and clap on the lid.
Let the crab steam for 8-11 minutes.
Remove with tongs and let it cool enough to clean.
Repeat with the rest of your crabs. As you get a feel for your stove and the crabs, you can steam 2 or more crabs at a time.
When your crab has cooled - pop the top.
Get your crab to where you are going to rinse your crabs. This is about to get messy.
You will need running water. The shower on your swim step, a hose, or a friend with a bucket of water to pour slowly over the crab while you are cleaning, are all good options.
Hold onto the shell the one hand, and the legs on one side with another. Pull up on the shell.
All the soft stuff goes - and you can just rinse it over the side. It belongs to the sea, so return it there.
Pull off the little "dead man's fingers" the floppy, pointy gills attached to the hard body under the shell.
Now your crab is clean.
Crack it open, extract the meat and munch!
- and to complete the perfect meal?
Melted butter (or even clarified/drawn butter or ghee - all the same thing)
Garlic Bread
a Big Green Salad
* Cook your crabs soon. They can live out of the water for a bit - but they can get too hot or suffocate if it is too long. Some options are:
Cooling the crab by putting it in your refrigerator in a paper bag.
Making a mini "live well"; If you have 1 or 2 crabs, they can go in your big crab cooking pot, just change the water every 45 minutes or so.
If you have more crabs, a cooler works great - and change the water every hour. The more crabs you have, the more important it is the water is changed thoroughly. The crabs use up the oxygen from the water, and put waste products into it. If you do not change the water, they can poison themselves if you have to hold them for too long in the same water.
The water changing method also means you can hold your crabs for quite awhile. We've done it for 6 - 8 hours with no ill affects. Just don't lose your bucket!
If you are unsure of the health of you crabs, poke them a little. If they still act annoyed, you are in good shape.
**There are many other methods for cooking crabs, and all of them work pretty much the same - this is just nice for a small galley with a bitty little flame.
It is also a method that works if all you have is a big sauce pan, or a flat bottomed wok - with a lid.
However you cook the crabs, you must have a lid.
You can also boil a pot of water and cook the crabs that way. However - the crabs remove a huge amount of heat from the water when you put them in. Then it takes the water ages to get back to the boil. Fortunately it is not necessary for the water to be actually boiling to cook the crabs.
Water boils at 212˚F, and the crabs cook at a much lower temperature. Up to 3 crabs covered in water that started at boiling will still cook in about 8 - 12 minutes, as long as you keep the lid on, and the pot over the burner to keep adding heat.
You do need the rocks or something else to keep the crabs out of the water, to do the steaming method.
If the crab is half in the boiling water, the water will not come back to steaming temperature for quite awhile, and the part of the crab in the water will cook a different amount than the part out of the water.
You go back, pull it up, and you have crabs - and they are keepers. This is exciting!
Now what?
The bad news is you need to get these guys cooked pretty soon*.
The good news is cooking is as easy as boiling water, and after they are cooked, separating the tasty stuff from the yeuccchhhh is possibly even easier.
My Favorite Method**:
For the beginner - just leave the crabs whole and live. Rinse them well with sea water (fresh water is OK too). For the advanced crabber, get out your gloves, and clean and split the crabs first.
Get a hold of a pot with a Lid (essential) big enough to hold at least 1 crab, with some room to spare.
A "big, ol' crab cookin' pot" is great, but sometimes you just need to work with what you've got.
Line the bottom with smooth, flat rocks, the type that is easy to hold in your hand - the kind you'd think of as "skippin' stones."
[The rocks help hold heat. With the little dinky galley burners, it takes a long time to bring the water back to a boil, so getting the rocks helps speed the cooking. Wash them off and use them over and over. ]
Do you have to have rocks? Nope - but they are handy.
Fill the pot with about 1inch of water - just over the top of the stones.
Bring the water to a steamy boil.
Put the crab in and clap on the lid.
Let the crab steam for 8-11 minutes.
Remove with tongs and let it cool enough to clean.
 |
| Cooling in the cockpit |
When your crab has cooled - pop the top.
Get your crab to where you are going to rinse your crabs. This is about to get messy.
You will need running water. The shower on your swim step, a hose, or a friend with a bucket of water to pour slowly over the crab while you are cleaning, are all good options.
Hold onto the shell the one hand, and the legs on one side with another. Pull up on the shell.
All the soft stuff goes - and you can just rinse it over the side. It belongs to the sea, so return it there.
Pull off the little "dead man's fingers" the floppy, pointy gills attached to the hard body under the shell.
Now your crab is clean.
Crack it open, extract the meat and munch!
 |
| can't talk, eating |
Melted butter (or even clarified/drawn butter or ghee - all the same thing)
Garlic Bread
a Big Green Salad
* Cook your crabs soon. They can live out of the water for a bit - but they can get too hot or suffocate if it is too long. Some options are:
Cooling the crab by putting it in your refrigerator in a paper bag.
Making a mini "live well"; If you have 1 or 2 crabs, they can go in your big crab cooking pot, just change the water every 45 minutes or so.
If you have more crabs, a cooler works great - and change the water every hour. The more crabs you have, the more important it is the water is changed thoroughly. The crabs use up the oxygen from the water, and put waste products into it. If you do not change the water, they can poison themselves if you have to hold them for too long in the same water.
The water changing method also means you can hold your crabs for quite awhile. We've done it for 6 - 8 hours with no ill affects. Just don't lose your bucket!
If you are unsure of the health of you crabs, poke them a little. If they still act annoyed, you are in good shape.
**There are many other methods for cooking crabs, and all of them work pretty much the same - this is just nice for a small galley with a bitty little flame.
It is also a method that works if all you have is a big sauce pan, or a flat bottomed wok - with a lid.
However you cook the crabs, you must have a lid.
You can also boil a pot of water and cook the crabs that way. However - the crabs remove a huge amount of heat from the water when you put them in. Then it takes the water ages to get back to the boil. Fortunately it is not necessary for the water to be actually boiling to cook the crabs.
Water boils at 212˚F, and the crabs cook at a much lower temperature. Up to 3 crabs covered in water that started at boiling will still cook in about 8 - 12 minutes, as long as you keep the lid on, and the pot over the burner to keep adding heat.
You do need the rocks or something else to keep the crabs out of the water, to do the steaming method.
If the crab is half in the boiling water, the water will not come back to steaming temperature for quite awhile, and the part of the crab in the water will cook a different amount than the part out of the water.
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