Crab and Caviar make the ultimate pairing for any holiday dinner or party. Their respective textures and flavors compliment each other wonderfully! Whether it's Christmas, Hanukkah or New Years, nothing says special occasion like a recipe filled with luxurious and decadent ingredients. On this week's post, I'm going to share some tips on preparing crabs, shopping for caviar and some recipes that include both foods!
The most common method of preparing crabs is to place them in boiling water and let them cook for 10-15 minutes. This is a great way to get tender, juicy crab meat. Just make sure you don't boil it for too long or else the crab meat will get tough. You can also bake crab legs at 350°F for 20 minutes. Feel free to season the crab legs and baste them with melted butter before popping it into the oven.
Whenever I have cooked crab meat, I almost always make my Oven Roasted Crab "Boun Natale." You use the crab's juice and tomalley to make a delicious sauce seasoned with thyme, lemon juice, chili flakes and garlic. After you combine the sauce with crab meat, you bake the mixture in the oven until the dish is hot throughout. You can serve it with garlic rubbed toast for a warm, citrusy delight!
The next recipe I'm going to share with you features both crab and caviar. If you've ever shopped for caviar then you know it can cost anywhere from $5 to $5,000. I've learned that a high price tag doesn't necessarily mean you'll get a better tasting caviar. So I teamed up with California Caviar to make Crème by Cat Cora, an exclusive line of caviars that are both delicious and affordable!
When all the stars align and you have both crab and caviar in your kitchen, then you've got to try my "Morning After" Crabiar Toast. It's a great appetizer for any occasion. The “crabiar” is crab meat salad topped with caviar on thin slices of a baguette.
CAT CORA'S "MORNING AFTER" CRABIAR TOAST
INGREDIENTS
1/2-pound Crab Meat
1/2 cup Greek Yogurt
2 tsp Chives, diced
2 Tbsp Dill, freshly chopped
1 Lemon, zested
4 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 clove Garlic, minced
1 tsp Kosher Salt
8-10 Thin Baguettes, sliced into ½ inch rounds
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
Pinch of salt
½ oz Cat Cora’s Crème Caviar (or other caviar)
2 tsp Chives, freshly chopped
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
To make the crab salad, combine the first 8 ingredients in a bowl and set aside.
Brush slices of baguette with olive oil and sprinkle salt on each one. Bake for 5-6 minutes and watch them closely so they don’t burn. Once baked pull them from the oven and let cool.
Top each crostini with a spoonful of crab salad and a small spoon of caviar. Sprinkle with some chopped chives and serve.
Over the past week on CORA-ntine Cuisine, I got to reunite with several friends that Nicole and I have made over the years. Our incredible guests included Maria Shriver, Sheila E, Debi Mazar, Chef Gabriele Corcos, Chef Karen Akunowicz and the Shirley Temple King! Many of the guests spoke of the importance of taking care of your health and eating foods that boost your immune system.
Hey y'all! This past week was one for the books. Not only did we celebrate Greek Easter, but it was also my son Caje's birthday! I got to chat with some incredible special guests including Cameron Mathis, David Burtka, Scott Evans, Chef Andrew Zimmern and superstar film director Tate Taylor! I'm going to share a few of my favorite recipes from last week and fill you in on some of the topics we discussed.
I've had so much fun on CORA-ntine Cuisine this past week. I got to chat with several special guests including Chef Ingrid Hofffman, Chef Dominique Crenn, Cake Wars host Jonathan Bennet and my partners at the Little Kitchen Academy, Felicity and Brian Curin. There's been one common theme in all of my chats so far and that theme is positivity.
