Ingredients
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Crabs
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2 kilograms crabsfresh
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50 grams Butter
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5 leaves basilcut into strips
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Salt
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white pepper
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Parmesan Crisps
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1 cup parmesan cheesefinely grated
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Avocado Salad
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3 ripe avocadospeeled and cut into cubes
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3 sun-dried tomatoes in oilchopped
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1 medium red onionchopped
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3 spring onionschopped
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1/2 cup mint and coriander leaves
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1 teaspoon Dijon Mustardheaped
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1 clove Garlicminced
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1 Lemon Juicefresh
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Salt
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black pepper
Directions
Cleaning Crabs
- Flip up the “apron” at the back of the shell, and use your thumb to break it off.
- Stick your thumb into the hole left from removing the apron, and lift up gently but firmly, to fully remove the carapace.
- Remove and discard the spongy, inedible gills from either side of the body.
- Also crack and remove the mandibles (mouthparts) at the front of the crab.
- Rinse all of the greenish-brown goo out of the body so that you are left with only shell and tasty meat.
- Turn the crab upside down, grip it on either side, and crack it in two.
- Squeeze out the meat from each half.
Parmesan Crisps
- Preheat the oven to medium-low (160C/325F/gas 3).
- Lay a baking tray with a sheet of greaseproof paper.
- Shape 8 flat rounds of grated cheese on the paper, spacing them from each other.
- Bake for about 6 minutes, until the rounds are golden.
- Peel them off the paper while they are still warm and set aside. (You can make the crisps ahead of time and keep them for two days in an air-tight container.)
Avocado Salad
- Mix together all the ingredients for the salad and season with salt and pepper.
Crabs
- Melt the butter in a sauté pan.
- Add the crab meat and sauté over a low flame, stirring.
- Add the basil, season with salt and pepper and continue sautéing while stirring until the crab meat becomes white.
- Remove from the heat and cool to room temperature.
To Serve
- Divide two-thirds of the avocado salad among 4 serving plates.
- Lay 4 parmesan crisps over the salad, and top them with the crab meat.
- Lay the remaining 4 crisps on top of the crab meat, and top them with the remaining avocado salad.
- Sprinkle some of the dried tomato oil around the Napoleons and serve.
