Crabs in Shell

Ingredients

• 6 whole Whole crabs, live or fresh (Will yield enough to fill 5 shells)
• 2 tablespoons Salt, for boiling water (For the cooking water)
• 1 tablespoon Onion juice, freshly extracted (Grate onion and squeeze through cheesecloth)
• 1 teaspoon Ginger juice, freshly extracted (Grate ginger and squeeze through cheesecloth)
• 1 tablespoon Lime juice, fresh (Lemon juice can substitute)
• 0.5 teaspoon Black pepper, freshly ground (To taste)
• 0.5 teaspoon Salt (To taste)
• 1 teaspoon Mushroom ketchup or Worcestershire sauce (Worcestershire sauce is a modern substitute)
• 3 tablespoons Butter, for frying (Divided use)
• 0.25 cup Stock, fish or chicken (About 60ml)
• 1 tablespoon Butter, softened, for greasing shells (For buttering the shells)
• 0.5 cup Breadcrumbs, finely sifted (Fine dry breadcrumbs work best)
• 2 tablespoons Butter, cold, cut into small bits (For dotting on top)

Instructions

1. 1Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Add the crabs and boil for 15-20 minutes until fully cooked and shells turn bright red. Remove from water and let cool until safe to handle.
2. 2Once crabs are cool enough to handle, carefully remove the meat from the shells. Reserve 5 of the best-looking top shells. Pick through all the crab meat to remove any shell fragments or cartilage. Set aside the coral (the orange-red roe) separately for later use.
3. 3Finely chop and mince the picked crab meat. Add the onion juice, ginger juice, lime juice, black pepper, salt, and mushroom ketchup. Mix well to combine all seasonings evenly throughout the crab meat.
4. 4Melt 3 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the seasoned crab mixture and fry, stirring frequently, until the butter is absorbed into the meat, about 5-7 minutes.
5. 5Add the stock to the skillet and stir to combine. Cook just until the stock begins to dry up and is mostly absorbed, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat immediately. The mixture should be moist but not wet.
6. 6Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Clean and dry the reserved 5 crab shells. Butter the inside of each shell generously. Divide the crab mixture evenly among the 5 shells, mounding it slightly.
7. 7Grind or finely mash the reserved coral until it forms a fine powder or paste. Mix the ground coral with the breadcrumbs.
8. 8Sprinkle the coral-breadcrumb mixture evenly over the filled shells. Dot the top of each shell with small bits of cold butter. Place shells on a baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes until the topping is golden brown and the filling is heated through.
9. 9Remove from oven and let cool for 2-3 minutes before serving. Serve hot, one stuffed shell per person.