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The Hirshon Ultimate Philadelphia Crabs & Spaghetti

The Hirshon Ultimate Philadelphia Crabs & Spaghetti


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  • Total Time: 0 hours

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 4 Tbsp. (59 ml) olive oil
  • 5 large blue crabs (500 g), cleaned by the fishmonger to remove the gills and lungs
  • 4 tsp. (20 g) kosher salt, divided
  • 20 cracks black pepper, divided
  • 1/2 tsp. dried oregano, divided
  • 2 Tbsp. (30 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
  • 8 cloves garlic, run through a garlic press
  • 1 cup fresh parsley, minced
  • 3 sprigs fresh basil
  • 1 sprig fresh oregano
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 Arbol chile
  • 1 Tbsp. tomato paste
  • 3 oil-packed anchovy fillets (about .5 ounce/14 g) – TFD prefers Ortiz brand
  • 56 oz. (1588 g) canned whole peeled San Marzano tomatoes
  • 1/4 teaspoon granulated sugar (optional)
  • 1 Tbsp. freshly-ground fennel seed (TFD addition, optional – remove if you prefer)
  • 1 Tbsp. Red Boat 40 degrees fish sauce (TFD addition, optional – remove if you prefer)
  • 1/2 cup (125 ml) Chablis
  • 1/4 cup (50 ml) brandy
  • ***
  • For the Spaghetti:
  • 1 pound (454 g) dried spaghetti
  • 1 Tbsp. gremolata seasoning, or more to taste (save extra in the fridge for other recipes), made by blending together:
  • 1 bunch flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped (1 cup packed, tender stems OK)
  • 2 garlic cloves, finely minced
  • Zest of one lemon
  • 2 teaspoons lemon juice (Meyer Lemon is especially nice)
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 1/81/4 tsp. kosher salt
  • 1/4 tsp. pepper, more to taste
  • pinch chili flakes
  • ***
  • 4 tablespoons (59 ml) extra-virgin olive oil, divided, plus more for serving
  • 2 tablespoons (28 g) unsalted butter
  • 10 fresh basil leaves, torn
  • 10 ounces (283 g) fresh lump crabmeat


Instructions

  1. For the crab gravy:
  2. Heat the oil in large Dutch oven set over medium-high heat. Season the crabs on both sides with half each of the salt, black pepper, and dried oregano. Slowly sear the crabs top shell side-down until they turn dark red, about 5 minutes. Flip and continue to sear for 5 minutes. Remove the top shells and reserve.
  3. Flip the crabs again, searing the insides until dark brown, about 6 minutes. Remove the browned crabs and reserve in a shallow dish. Discard the oil and allow the pot to cool for 5 minutes.
  4. While the pot is cooling, combine the tomatoes, sugar (if needed), and remaining salt, pepper, and oregano in a medium bowl and crush the tomatoes as much as possible with your hands. Reserve at room temperature.
  5. Wipe out the pot, removing any burned crab stuck to the bottom. Set the pot over low heat and add the olive oil, onion, garlic, herbs, and chile. Sweat until the onions are translucent, about 8 minutes. Make a space in the pot and add the tomato paste, fish sauce (if using) and anchovy.
  6. Cook for 5 minutes until the paste turns from bright red to copper. Return the crabs and reserved shells to the pot. Pour the wine into the dish that held the crabs, swishing around to collect any extra crab bits and juices, then add the wine to the pot. Reduce until almost dry, about 3 minutes.
  7. Add the brandy and simmer until alcohol has cooked off, about 5 minutes. Add the seasoned crushed tomatoes. Pour the clam juice into the tomato bowl and swish around to collect any leftover tomato. Add the mixture to the pot with 1 cup (250 ml) of water and lower the heat to maintain a slow simmer. Cook for 2 hours partially covered, gently stirring about every 10 minutes, then cool completely to room temperature.
  8. When the sauce has cooled, remove the crabs. If needed, scrape out and discard the lungs. Scrape out any roe and other innards and add them to the sauce. Cut the crabs in half and reserve at room temperature.
  9. Set a conical sieve over a clean pot. Working in batches, ladle the cooked sauce into the sieve, pressing as much into the clean pot as possible. Be sure to scrape down the outside of the sieve with a rubber spatula. . Discard the remaining solids. Stir the sauce well and reserve over low heat.
  10. For the spaghetti:
  11. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt generously. Add the spaghetti and cook for 1 minute less than the time specified on the package directions.
  12. Meanwhile, add 1/2 the total amount of the gremolata you plan to use in the recipe and half the olive oil to a large sauté pan set over medium-low heat.
  13. Sweat the ingredients for 1 minute, then add the crab gravy. Increase the heat to medium-high and simmer the sauce until reduced by half, about 5 minutes.
  14. Strain the spaghetti, reserving the pasta water. Add the spaghetti to the gravy with the remaining olive oil, the butter, basil, and crabmeat. Lower the heat to medium and cook for 2 minutes, tossing to combine.
  15. While the pasta is finishing cooking, return half of the pasta water to the pot and bring to a simmer. Warm the reserved cooked crabs in the simmering water. When warmed through, remove the crabs from the pot, shaking off the excess water, and arrange them on top of the plated spaghetti. Drizzle with olive oil, add remaining gremolata to taste and serve.
  • Prep Time: 0 hours
  • Cook Time: 0 hours
  • Category: Recipes
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