Crab claws with garlic butter & Guinness bread
1kg crab claws
100g butter
good quality extra virgin olive oil
3 shallots, peeled, finely chopped
6-8 plump cloves garlic, peeled
500ml good quality fish stock
splash dry white wine
chilli flakes to taste
handful fresh parsley, finely chopped
FOR THE BREAD
450g coarse wholemeal flour
125g plain flour
1 heaped tsp bicarb of soda
100g treacle
100ml guinness
200ml buttermilk
pinch salt
handful of mixed seeds (optional)
1 tbsp porridge oats
To cook the crab claws: heat a good glug of olive oil along with the butter in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan set
on medium heat. Add the finely chopped shallot and sauté for 3-4 mins until softened, mince the garlic and add to the pot, stir well and cook for a further 4 mins stirring often to ensure the garlic does not burn.
Add the stock, parsley, wine, chilli flakes, parsley and a good seasoning of freshly ground black pepper, bring liquid to boil then quickly reduce and simmer for 4-5 mins before adding the crab claws, simmer for 6-7 mins.
Add cooked claws to a large serving bowl or individual dishes along with broth and serve with Guinness brown bread and good salted butter.
FOR THE BREAD
Preheat oven to 180˚c/350˚f.
Combine all the dry ingredients together and mix.
Add the treacle, Guinness and buttermilk, mix really well until a soft dough is formed.
Grease and line a 1lb load tin with baking parchment, add dough flatten out using the back of dampened tABLESPOON, cut a 1/2 inch cross into the top of the dough, sprinkle top with porridge oats (optional), bake for 25 mins, then reduce
heat to 170˚c/338˚f and bake for a further 35 mins until fully baked and the base of the loaf sounds hollow when tapped.
NOTES
Whenever i go down to the south of Ireland, places like Dingle or Kinsale, for some reason I crave crab claws, maybe because years ago I went to a town there called Kenmare and I had the most amazing garlic crab claws which were drowned in garlic butter and served with the cutest, individual mini Irish brown bread loaves I’d ever seen.
This is my take on really garlicky CRAB CLAWS. Very kindly the superb recipe for the bread was supplied to me by a wka reader and longtime fan Kate McKenna.
Thanks Kate! X
insta / katecooksire