Ingredients
Preparation
- You might have to order ahead from you seafood counter to get a whole crab.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Rinse the crab under cold water. Pat dry. Coat with vegetable oil.
- In a large baking dish, bake crab until it turns orange. Remove from oven and set aside.
- In a pan large enough to hold vegetables and crab, heat butter. When melted, add mirepoix, garlic, ginger and lemongrass. Sauté until golden, being careful not to burn the garlic.
- Add the whole crab to the mirepoix mixture and stir fry for 2 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat. Add Calvados carefully, and gently tilt toward the flame. Calvados will ignite lightly, for about 10 seconds. If it does not turn off after 10 seconds, cover pan with lid. Once Calvados is no longer ignited, return pan to heat, allowing alcohol to evaporate.
- In a separate pan, add tomato paste, diced tomatoes, and chicken broth. Stir to combine and bring to a boil. Simmer for 2 minutes.
- Add tomato paste mixture to king crab. Bring to boil. Cover and simmer on low-medium heat until it is reduced by half (about 40 minutes).
- Remove crab from tomato sauce. Reserve sauce. Carefully separate crab legs from body, transfer to large serving platter.
- Prepare the bisque: Add brown butter and lemon juice to tomato sauce. Combine over low heat. Add salt and pepper to taste. Strain and reserve.
- Serve crab with bisque on the side.