Pacific Rim Seafood Boil

January 1, 2013

Happy New Year! As we say goodbye to the holidays and heavier-than-normal eating and drinking patterns, here’s a recipe that will begin your diet regimen in style. It’s an all-time favorite of mine that I hope will become one of yours as well. It was printed years ago in one of my early books, “Inside the Pike Place Market.” Enjoy!

Pacific Rim Seafood Boil

Wine Varietal: Off-Dry Riesling

The Dungeness crab is the prize catch of the oldest shellfish fishery in the North Pacific. Cancer Magister, the “big crab,” provides one of the best traditional foods of the region, often simply steamed or boiled. Here the “Dungie” finds refuge in a light, healthy broth redolent with fresh lemongrass and gingerroot, a Pacific Rim twist on the traditional Northwest crab feed. To eat this dish properly, seafood forks, crab crackers, and extra napkins are mandatory.

1 tablespoon peanut oil

1 pound Alaskan spot prawns or medium-sized shrimp, shelled and deveined, shells reserved

4 stalks lemongrass, outer leaves discarded and soft inner core chopped into 1/4-inch rounds, about 1/2 cup

2 tablespoons minced gingerroot

4 cloves garlic, peeled and halved

Pinch hot red pepper flakes

1/2 cup mirin (Japanese rice wine) or dry Sherry

4 cups homemade vegetable stock OR 2 (14 1/2 oz.) cans vegetable broth

1 1/2 cups water

2 precooked 1- to 1 1/2-pound Dungeness crabs in the shell, cracked into pieces suitable for picking

Pickled ginger, for garnish

1. Heat oil in a large wok or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the shrimp shells, lemongrass, gingerroot, and garlic and cook 2 to 3 minutes, or until the herbs give off their odor and shrimp shells turn opaque, stirring frequently. Add mirin, vegetable stock, and water and bring to a boil. Turn down heat, cover pan, and simmer 10 minutes. Remove broth from heat and pour broth through a fine-meshed strainer, pressing solids with a spoon to squeeze out all the juice. Discard solids.

2. Return broth to wok and bring to a gentle simmer. Add the spot shrimp and cook 2 to 3 minutes, or until shrimp just turn pink. With a slotted spoon, remove shrimp to a bowl and reserve.

3. Add the crab pieces to the broth and cook 2 to 3 minutes, or until crab is warmed through, stirring occasionally to redistribute. Add shrimp to the pan and remove from heat.

4. To serve, divide seafood and broth among individual bowls and garnish with pickled ginger.

Serves 4 as an entrée; 6 as an appetizer

 

2 Comments »

  1. An exciting preparation for dungies that I can’t wait to try. Adding the shrimp shells to the broth is brilliant. Many home chefs are not aware of the wonderful flavor the shells of the spot prawns will contribute to a stock or sauce base.

    Comment by Capt. Dennis — March 1, 2012 @ 11:25 am

  2. Thanks to Captain Dennis. Adding the shells to the stock is an old trick I learned in the Navy. LOL.

    Let me know how you like it once you try it, please!

    Comment by Braiden — March 6, 2012 @ 11:39 pm

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