Pastel De Jaiba (Chilean Blue Crab Pie) |
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Prep Time: 15 Minutes Cook Time: 25 Minutes |
Ready In: 40 Minutes Servings: 4 |
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I found this one in a little South America cookbook from the UK (hence the metric measurements). This is very popular along the coastline of Chile. The original recipe calls for whole crabs to be used because the dish can be served in the crab shells. If you prefer to use ramekins instead, cooked crabmeat can be used in place of whole crabs. Ingredients:
400 ml heavy cream |
200 g white bread, crust removed (preferably a sturdy bakery bread that will retain a bit of texture once soaked) |
800 g whole blue crabs, cooked |
80 g butter |
100 g gouda cheese, grated (smoked gouda would be good here) |
50 g parmesan cheese, grated (fresh, not the sprinkle kind in the canister) |
2 medium onions, chopped |
salt, to taste |
fresh ground pepper, to taste |
1 tablespoon vegetable oil |
chives, finely chopped for garnish |
Directions:
1. Soak the bread in the cream. While bread is soaking, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When oil is hot but not smoking, saute the chopped onions until they turn golden, stirring regularly to avoid burning (about 8 minutes).
2. Add crab meat, butter and soaked bread along with any additional cream to the pan and reduce the heat to low. Stir almost constantly, until sauce thickens (approximately 5 minutes). Add the Gouda cheese and cook for about 10 more minutes, or until cheese is fully melted and incorporated. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
3. For serving, this may be scooped back into the (cleaned) crab shells, or you can scoop it into four individual oven-safe ramekins. Sprinkle the Parmesan evenly over each serving, then broil until cheese melts and turns golden brown. Sprinkle the top of each serving with a pinch of chopped chives and serve.
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