Crab’s in season! Serve it with citrus for easy dining

As I write this, the crab festival in Kodiak, Alaska, is just winding down. Over the Memorial

Weekend, the Dungeness crabs — just back in season — are the stars of the four-day gala held on the great network of fishing docks. Music, art and craft booths, food and camaraderie with native Alaskans, residents young and old, and the fishermen themselves with their boats lining the docks, make for a unique and fabulous event.

The boats are sparkling clean, flags flying, ready for the first sailing of the season. On the final day, owners and crews board their vessels and the priest stands at the end dock ready to bless each boat as they embark in the annual parade out onto the ocean’s vastness. Onlookers stand on the surrounding hills overlooking the harbor and waving “goodbye and good luck” to all of them — an unforgettable event which I have been blessed to attend twice during visits to my son and his family there.

On my last visit, four or five years ago, we viewed an incredible happening on our hilltop lookout: Awaiting the boat parade, we saw a seal leaping and swimming madly trying to escape a following orca (“killer whale”) in close pursuit. Just as the sad outcome seemed inevitable, the first fishing boat made its way through the narrow waterway between docks and land — allowing the seal to make the wharf in safety while the larger orca had to turn and precede the boat out to sea — accompanied by the cheers of we observers! A true adventure with a happy ending!

Today, we’ll honor those delectable crabs with their traditional critus go-withs. Enjoy!

For simple but elegant enjoyment, buy a cooked crab, pick out the meat and serve on a platter with your choice of dips, and accompany with a bowl of wedged, mixed citrus and garlic sticks. For more elaborate fare, here are two savory recipes — each of which need only a bowl of cut-up citrus for go-withs.

Crab Quiche

1 ready-to-bake pie-crust for 9-inch pie

Meat of a medium-size Dungeness crab or 1-pound King crab leg, thawed if necessary,

4 large eggs

2 cups heavy cream

2 tablespoons EACH finely chopped fresh chives, parsley, cilantro

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 cup EACH Monterey Jack and Swiss cheese, grated together*.

Set oven to 375F. With weights in shell to keep pie from bubbling, pre-bake crust in pie plate till pale gold and set, about 20 minutes; cool completely. Make filling.

Carefully saving the top shell of a Dungeness crab, pick out all body meat, and crack legs to remove meat. A good nut-cracker and nutpicks work great- especially in the claws! Rinse top shell for use and discard remaining leg shells. If using crab leg, use poultry scissors to cut crab shell away to get all meat out. Cut into 1/2-inch pieces. Whisk together eggs, cream, herbs, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Stir in crabmeat. Pour into prebaked crust and bake until filling puffs and is no longer wobbly in center when quiche is gently shaken — 40-50 minutes. Cool in pie plate on rack 15 minutes before serving.

• You may prefer cheddar for a more assertive flavor.

Deviled Stuffed Crab

Meat from 2 cooked crabs, shredded/broken up; large back shells saved

1/2 cup finely chopped raw or roasted unsalted cashews

2 hard-boiled eggs, chopped small

1 tablespoon EACH flour and butter

1 1/4 cups milk or half-and-half

1 small green pepper, seeded, finely chopped

1 medium onion, very finely chopped

2 or 3 large pieces of jarred roasted red bell pepper, finely chopped

2 tablespoons sweet relish

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

2 teaspoons minced dill pickles

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

3 tablespoons butter

4 tablespoons dry breadcrumbs

Chopped parsley

Salt, pepper to taste

Citrus wedges for edible garnish

Wash crab body shells, set aside. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Prepare cream sauce: Melt 1 tablespoon butter in small saucepan; when melted and foaming, lower heat and stir in flour, then milk gradually till mixed. Bring heat up to medium-high and boil gently till thickened. Remove, cool slightly, then stir in prepared chopped egg, green pepper, onion and roasted red pepper; mix well, then fold in crab meat, cashews and remaining ingredients to white sauce. Lightly butter clean crab shells, fill with mixture and top with dry crumbs. Melt the 3 tablespoons butter and drizzle over crumbs. Bake in preheated oven 15 minutes, and brown under broiler for a moment if necessary. Remove from oven, sprinkle with parsley and garnish with lemon wedges. Serve with small seasoned toasts or pumpernickel rounds as desired.

Grapefruit-Avocado Salad

w/Ginger-Cassis Dressing

(Serves 6)

2 large ruby grapefruits

1 large head of butter lettuce, leaves separated

1 large avocado, halved, pitted, peeled, sliced

Dressing:

3 tablespoons virgin olive oil

3 tablespoons Crème de Cassis (black currant liqueur) or Grenadine

2 tablespoons finely chopped shallots

2 tablespoons minced (or finely grated) peeled fresh ginger (or minced candied/preserved ginger)

4 teaspoons white wine vinegar

Procedure: Peel and cut off white pith of grapefruits; cut each one crosswise into 4 slices, then cut each slice crosswise in half. Arrange lettuce leaves on platter, tearing larger ones in half. Top with grapefruit and avocado slices.

Whisk dressing ingredients together in small bowl; season generously with salt and pepper. Drizzle over salad, serve.

If you prefer green salad, here’s a great dressing to be made the day before.

Orange-Ginger Vinaigrette:

(about 1 1/2 cups)

1/2 cup fresh orange juice

1/2 cup virgin olive oil

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup champagne vinegar

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon fresh grated ginger

In a medium bowl combine all ingredients and whisk to combine. Place in airtight container and refrigerate at least 24 hours before use.

Enjoy your crab feast, and consider making arrangements for a trip to Kodiak next May for a once-in-a-lifetime experience!

Valle Novak writes the Country Chef and Weekend Gardener columns for the Daily Bee. She can be reached at bcdailybee@bonnercountydailybee.com. or by phone at 208-265-4688 between the hours of 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.