Basque Spider Crab Gratin in the Shell, San Sebastian Style

What you need

• 2 spider crabs, about 1 kg (2 1/4 lb) each, or 500 g (1 lb) picked cooked crab meat
• coarse salt, 60 g (1/4 cup) per litre of cooking water, plus a pinch to taste
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 small leek, white part, finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 1 small dried chili, guindilla, optional
• 2 ripe tomatoes, halved and grated, skins discarded
• 150 ml (2/3 cup) brandy
• 40 g (3 tbsp) butter, divided
• 1 tbsp dry breadcrumbs, heaped
• 1 tbsp flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

Method

Restated from the original video

1. 1

   Live crabs should first spend 30 min in the freezer, which stuns them before cooking. With picked crab meat, skip straight to the onion step.

2. 2

   Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil and add 60 g of salt for every litre of water. Cook the crabs until the shells turn bright red, about 15 min. Drain, keeping a ladle of the cooking water, and leave until cool enough to handle.

3. 3

   Pull off the legs and lift away the top shells. Scrub the shells clean and keep them. Discard the gills, then pick all the meat from the bodies and legs, keeping any brown meat and juices. Check carefully for bits of shell.

4. 4

   Heat the olive oil with half the butter in a frying pan over low heat. Add the onion, leek, garlic and chili and cook gently, stirring now and then, until very soft and sweet but not browned, 20-25 min.

5. 5

   Remove the chili. Turn the heat up to medium, pour in the brandy and let it bubble until reduced by about half.

6. 6

   Add the tomatoes and cook until thick and jammy, 10-15 min.

7. 7

   Stir in the crab meat with its juices and a splash of the reserved cooking water, if you have it. Simmer for 2-3 min so the flavours meld, then taste for salt.

8. 8

   Heat the oven grill to high.

9. 9

   Spoon the mixture into the cleaned shells or small ovenproof dishes. Sprinkle with the breadcrumbs and parsley and dot with the remaining butter.

10. 10

    Grill until the top is golden and bubbling, about 5 min. Serve hot.

Imported from gourmettraveller.com.au. Recipe Grab pulled out what you need to cook it; the video stays where its author put it.