Crab Leg Crostini With Preserved Lemon Chimichurri
I might be seeing "back to school" emails in my inbox, but I refuse to let go of summer! August is HOT around these parts and we're keeping cool with a steady diet of iced tea and light meals...don't turn on that oven please, it already feels like one outside.
On Sundays we typically do small bites and a patio happy hour - it feels like date night, but we get to relax without leaving the house..which we're usually unmotivated to do after a really long day of yard work and house projects. But happy hour at home doesn't have to be boring, nope! It's a time to experiment with new flavors and savor a touch of decadence before starting up a new week.
And when I think of decadence, I think of crab legs! We usually enjoy these on New Years Eve, but it actually seems more appropriate to celebrate outdoors during these warmer summer nights. Alaskan King Crab has an amazing selection to choose from (including tons of other seafood options), we opted for the Colossal Red King Crab Legs which are the most luxuriously creamy and delicious crab I've ever had.
The amount of meat is impressive and the flavor is so fresh that you won't need to do much to it at all - in fact, it arrives pre-cooked so you can eat it straight out of the shell (and I did)!
These showstoppers deserve a spot light so I made Crab Leg Crostinis that have immediately become a new summertime favorite!
Tying in some bright flavors of the season, I wanted to use the preserved lemons I recently made and turn them into a vibrant chimichurri tossed with raw fennel and radish. Where these flavors might sound overpowering, it actually enhances the crab and delivers a balanced bite packed with acid, herbs and a delicate essence of the sea. In a word: It's really really good. Like I could eat the whole platter good.
I hope that you're enjoying the last bits of summer and I'm giving you all the excuses in the world to get a spritzer in hand and enjoy your next weekend with one of these crostinis too - it's super easy to make and would be perfect for a party...or just happy hour for two. I think I'll make my patio reservations now.
Cheers friends!
- Crab Leg Crostini With Preserved Lemon Chimichurri -
CHIMICHURRI INGREDIENTS
1 TBS capers
1/2 Shallot
1 bunch fresh parsley
2 sprigs fresh oregano
2 quarter slices preserved lemon with their juices
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 cup olive oil
1 TBS champagne vinegar
Juice of one lemon
CROSTINI INGREDIENTS
1 - 2 lbs fresh crab meat
Vadouvan spice blend
Rustic bread loaf
1 bulb fennel
1 Watermelon radish
Microgreens
DIRECTIONS
For the chimichurri, finely chop all ingredients and allow to sit in a bowl with oil and vinegar for at least one hour for the flavors to intensify.
Remove crab meat from legs and sprinkle with Vadouvan spice blend.
In a separate bowl, toss fine mandolin slivers of fennel and radish in approx. 3/4 of your chimichurri sauce (reserve extra for drizzle - or leftovers because you're going to want more). Assemble fennel and radish salad onto a grilled slice of rustic bread, then top with generous amounts of crab meat. Garnish with fresh cracked pepper, microgreens and a small drizzle of preserved lemon chimichurri.
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