OVEN-ROASTED CRAB BUON NATALE

OVEN-ROASTED CRAB BUON NATALE image

Yield 4 to 6 servings

Number Of Ingredients 20

4 (1 to 1 1/2 pound) Dungeness crabs or 2 (2 pound) crabs, cooked, cleaned (reserve juices)
Sauce:
1 teaspoon chili flakes
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Reserved crab juices
1 cup mayonnaise or aioli
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
1/4 pound butter (1 stick)
4 tablespoons olive oil
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
2 tablespoons lemon zest (about 4 to 5 lemons)
4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Salt and freshly cracked black pepper
3 tablespoons roughly chopped Italian flat-leaf parsley
Lemon slices or wedges, for garnish
4 to 8 slices crusty bread, toasted, rubbed with garlic cloves and drizzled with olive oil

Steps:

Crack the crab reserving the juices. Set aside. Make the sauce by adding resreved crab juices, chili flakes, thyme, garlic, and lemon juice and bring to a quick simmer over low heat. Give it a final quick stir and remove the pan from the heat. Pour the sauce into a small mixing bowl and allow it to cool. (Start roasting the crab once the sauce is cooling.) As soon as the sauce feels lukewarm to the touch, add the mayonnaise or aioli along with the salt and pepper. Taste and add more salt, pepper, or thyme, if you like. Put a rack in the middle or lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. On the stove, in a large oven-proof saute pan or casserole, heat the butter, olive oil, garlic, thyme, and lemon zest over medium-high heat until hot. Add crab pieces and season with salt, pepper, to taste, and mix well. Put the pan in the oven and cook until the crab is hot throughout and the garlic is golden brown. (Watch carefully; the crab heats very quickly and at 500 degrees F the garlic can burn easily.) Remove the crab from the oven, drizzle with 4 tablespoons of lemon juice and scatter the parsley over the top. To serve, stack the crab on a platter and drizzle with the sauce or serve the sauce in a small bowl and allow your guests to help themselves. Garnish the platter with lemon wedges and slices of garlic-rubbed toast. Serve immediately.