How to Make Crab Marinara

Making Crab Marinara turned out to be far more adventurous than I expected. Remember the lobster  scene in Annie Hall?





My experience was not far from that.

I asked the fishmonger for 6 crabs and a pound of lump crabmeat, figuring I'd cook the whole crabs in the sauce to infuse flavor, then add lump crabmeat before serving.  He complied, and home I went.   Imagine my shock and horror when I discovered, upon starting to cook, that the crabs were still alive.  Yup.  I opened the bag to dump them in the sizzling garlic and was greeted with snapping pincers and a flurry of legs.

I composed myself, secured a pair of long-handled tongs, and began battle.  I grabbed the first one, but as I attempted to transfer him into the pot, he fought ferociously and with such force that he separated his leg from his body.  I retained hold of the disembodied leg in the tongs, and the rest of the crab fell to the floor and scurried under the table.  I chased him, finally grasping him again, this time by the middle, and tossed him into the pot.  The remaining crabs were less feisty, and I was more prepared.  I managed the rest without incident, lost of limb (mine or the crabs') and resumed cooking.

In the end, this was a spectacular summer feast, and once I got past the fact that I had to kill my dinner, the preparation was quite simple.

Here's the recipe:

Crab Marinara

2 TBSP olive oil
2 TBSP chopped garlic
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
6 cups marinara sauce--either make your own or purchase a high quality jarred version
6 live crabs
1 bunch fresh basil (about 10 leaves)
1 lb lump crabmeat, picked over for shells


In large pot, heat oil with garlic, salt, and pepper flakes.  Add sauce, bring to simmer, and add crabs, then basil.  Simmer, covered, over low heat 1-2 hrs until sauce takes on flavor of crabs.  Remove crabs from sauce, add lump crabmeat, heat through and serve over al dente pasta.

NOTES:  For the adventurous, you can leave the crabs in the sauce; some people enjoy eating the meat from the shells.  (I am not one of those people--far too messy and labor intensive).  I personally enjoy this with a generous sprinkle of Parmesan cheese, but many purists eschew cheese with fish.  Your call!

Veal Saltimbocca

Sage is something I always have growing in pots out in the back yard, yet - for some reason - I don't often remember to use.  It's a fine looking herb which is imbued with many a mythical property (according to http://www.herbalspiral.com/ it is reputed to be "beneficial for circulation, digestion and memory," for example.).  The Ancient Greeks and Romans believed it imparted wisdom, hence an old but wise person is known as a sage. 

You'll need a mean mallet to tenderize the veal

Sage is central to the classic Roman dish -- Veal Saltimbocca. 

The name is its best description. 

Veal Saltimbocca translated means "jump in the mouth";

* "saltare" means "to jump",

* "im" = in and

* "bocca" is "the mouth".




A less literal and more colloquial translation would be "melts in the mouth" and that certainly describes this dish - in large part this is down to the vast quantities of butter used in frying the veal!

On my return from Rome this Summer, I searched for a recipe on the Food Network.  There were plenty of fancy-schmancy interpretations but none of them recalled the simple delightful lunch I had when in Rome. 

The simplest I could find is this Saltimbocca alla Romana. 

My version however omits the chicken broth and was given me by my Italian friend, Marica, now living in Philly, who is known for her superb Italian home cooking...

To feed four:
4 x veal cutlets
1/2 a stick of butter
Tbsp of olive oil
Thin cut proscuitto - 1 slice per cutlet
1 glass of dry white wine
Fresh sage
plenty of salt and pepper

To prepare:
1. Use the mallet to pummel your veal cutlet.  The cutlets will already be thinly sliced so don't overdo it or the cutlets may fall apart.  Pummeling does help tenderize the cutlet, however, and lends it that 'melt in your mouth" quality.
2. Wrap the veal cutlet in one slice of proscuitto and season generously with salt and pepper
3. Heat 3oz of the butter and the tablespoon of oil in a large frypan, bring to bubbling and place proscuitto wrapped cutlets in the pan, fry 2 mins, then turn.
4. Place 1-2 leaves of sage on top of cutlet, fry for 1 min and flip cutlet, fry for another 30 seconds or until you see that the sage has begun to brown.  (Keep a close eye on the cutlets, I tend to undercook rather than overcook as the cutlets will continue to cook through once served.)
5.  Add white wine to the pan and heat wine/butter sauce through.
6. Plate cutlets and sage
7. Turn up heat on the wine sauce and keep bubbling for a minute until the sauce reduces and thickens
8. Pour sauce over veal and garnish with lemon wedge.

Buon Appetito.