Crab Salad - Chef Matt Video Recipe

 Next to lobster, fresh boiled crab is the most luxurious seafood. My nephew, Chef Matt is back with a simple but luscious Crab Salad.

On a visit to Louisiana to see Mom, we came into a few cooked crabs supplied by another nephew, Zak, who worked with a seafood distributor, so the wholesale price was right. The crab's outer shells are removed along with the insides (lungs, gills, etc.). What is left is called a Crab Cluster which includes legs, claws, and the body.

Normally, raw whole crabs are covered in seasoned water (using a package of Crab or Seafood Boil) and boiled for about 15 to 20 minutes. 

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When we picked and cleaned half a dozen boiled Crab Clusters there was about a pound of crab meat to work with.

Before the 99c only Stores shut down this year, I managed to nap a few 6-ounce cans of Crab Meat for $1.99 each. Oh well, this may be the last crab I have for a while unless my ship comes in! 

I am a fan of fake Krab. It has the flavor of cooked crab but at bargain basement prices. So if you are a cheap$kate like me, and want to try your hand at a Crab Salad, why not first try it with Krab? My last recipe using Krab was for a Cerviche, and it was a tasty one I make during warm summer patio parties, click here to see how I do it. 

You could also skip all the hard work of peeling a crab body and crab claws with a container or two of picked and cleaned Lump Crabmeat. 

If you use crabmeat in the shell, it takes work to get the flesh out. Now, the crab claws are not too hard to work with, think of them as a pecan or walnut in the shell, break the crab claws with a nutcracker. Crack the claws close to the pincher or joints so when the shell is pulled apart you will reveal the flesh, then it's fairly easy to remove in a large piece. 

The hard part is removing flesh from the body of a crab. Once cooked and cooled, the body is broken into a couple of segments, and then you probe and scrape the white chambers with a small fork and butter knife to remove the tender and sweet flakes of flesh.  

Zak and the Swamp Chef were the designated crab peelers so we made quick time of it, even the Swamp Chef picked, I mean, pitched in.

Same as a typical Tuna Salad, Crab Salad has chopped celery and onion, pickle relish, mayo, mustard, and a squeeze of lemon juice. The main adjustment is how much mayo you will add. It can be creamy or go lite and add less mayo.

 Crab meat will spoil, so it's best to keep it refrigerated until preparation. Keep the finished Crab Salad chilled. Serve on a salad or as a sandwich. I like it on a cracker.

Join my Cajun family and get out any fave crackers, or toasty grain bread, and spread on Chef Matt's creamy and rich (flavor and moneywise) Crab Salad. 

Chef Matt's Crab Salad - VIDEO     Play it here, video runs 5 minutes, 56 seconds.

My YouTube video link for viewing or embedding, just click here.

Ingredients

• Crab Meat -1 pound cooked and peeled. If using whole crabs about 3-5 crabs depending on size. Okay to use a container of Lump Crabmeat or a package of Krab (Imitation Crab).
• Onion - half cup chopped.
• Celery - half cup chopped.
• Lemon Juice - from 1 or 2 lemons.
• Sweet Pickle Relish - 2 tablespoons.
• Mayonnaise - 1 cup. Add a couple tablespoons at a time to reach the desired creaminess.
• Creole Mustard - 1 tablespoon, optional. Okay to add any favorite mustard.
• Salt and Pepper - to taste.

*Serve Crab Salad with favorite crackers, carrot or celery slices, on a salad, or in a sandwich.

Directions

Containers of Lump Crab Meat are for sale in cans or plastic containers. Okay to use cooked Lump Crab for an easy version. 

The cheapest Crab Salad is made with fake crab or Krab.

For uncooked fresh crabs, boil submerged in water with Seafood Boil for about 15 to 20 minutes. Crab shells will turn bright orange when they are ready.

Peeling cooked crabs takes time and can be a bit tricky. But as with anything, practice makes perfect. Tools include a nutcracker for the shells, and a small fork and butter knife to remove crab meat from shells.

For this recipe, Chef Matt used Dungeness Crab Clusters that were pre-cooked. The outer shell and internal organs were removed. Claws, legs, and body segments were ready to peel.

Once the boiled crabmeat is removed from the shells, make sure to give the meat one more go-over to remove any small shell pieces. To quote Matt: "Nothing worse than biting into a shell."

Add cooked and peeled Crabmeat, celery, and onion to a bowl. Spoon in sweet pickle relish and mayo. Mix well, but use a light touch so you still have some crab chunks.

Add a little mayo at a time to reach desired creaminess. It's up to you how much mayo to add.

You can add mustard or leave it out. I've had it both ways.

Salt and pepper to taste. I add very little salt, as mayo has some already, but I add plenty of pepper.

Chill Crab Salad until ready to eat. 

Serve Crab Salad on favorite crackers, carrot or celery slices, in half an avocado, on a salad, or as a sandwich.

Shrimp & Corn Soup - Chef Matt Video Recipe

My cajun chef nephew is baaack! Chef Matt knows seafood and his latest recipe is a Southern spin on a New England Chowder...but with shrimp. His Shrimp Corn Soup is the bomb!

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If you like a New England Clam Chowder then you know what's in store. It's almost the same recipe but with shrimp and corn instead of clams and potatoes.

Chef Matt has been in the food biz most of his working life, cooking for award-winning restaurants, so his palate is quite fine, but he is not above using a cheap can of diced tomato and chile called Ro-Tel. 

When Chef Matt starts slinging pots and pans you never know who will show up. Well, look what the alligators dragged in, my brother from another daddy, the Swamp Chef.

Any kinfolk are always welcome as taste testers!! We saved a bowl for Matt's brother Jason and Matt's son Miles.

The main ingredients are shrimp, corn, flour, and cream. Of course, there is the addition of the Cajun Trinity of bell pepper, onion, and celery. Chef Matt used a container of the chopped Trinity (sometimes parsley and garlic are added). It's okay to buy celery, bell pepper, and onion separately and then chop.

Local Trinity for chopping.

Flour and veggies are still priced cheaply. Shrimp is an expensive ingredient, but I have a local Latin market that sells them a dollar less per pound than regular grocery stores.

This is a father/son bonding recipe. Chef Matt did the cooking and chopping while his son, Miles, peeled the boiled shrimp.

We used large shrimp for the recipe, and with large shrimp, you often have a black vein or digestive tract along the back of each shrimp. Once the shell is removed make a shallow slice along the back to remove the "vein".

I've noticed that some shrimp have them and others do not, especially smaller shrimp. The "vein" has a sandy texture and little flavor - not everyone will go through the trouble to remove them, so that is up to you.

For this recipe, Matt boiled the shrimp first, then added the peeled and chopped large shrimp to the Corn Soup. 

Here's how I peel shrimp. Basically, you remove the head and a couple of shell segments, then squeeze the tail end and pull out the raw or cooked shrimp.

He also had leftover crab shells from another recipe (check back for his fantastic Crab Salad). All the shells were roasted with some carrots and onion. Then the shells were boiled in water for a couple of hours for a pungent seafood broth. I only include this extra step to show how Chef Matt rolls.

A lot of flavor is extracted from shrimp when they are boiled. You want to retain the liquid the shrimp are boiled in - this is the broth I use for Shrimp & Corn Soup. 

Matt also used another shortcut, frozen corn on the cob. Once defrosted the corn kernels are easier to slice off than fresh corn cobs. Of course, use fresh corn if you can get it. You could even use a bag of cheap frozen corn kernels for the recipe. And, canned corn holds up quite well.

99 thanks to Chef Matt for another righteous recipe. His Shrimp & Corn Soup is rich, creamy, and loaded with veggies and shrimp.

And it's always fun to hang out the my Cajun family and taste testers. This time Mom, Miles, and Jason stepped up to the plate(s). These are kool cats always up for another wacky video ride with the Swamp Chef !

Chef Matt's Shrimp & Corn Soup - VIDEO       Play it here, video runs 8 minutes, 24 seconds.

My YouTube video link for viewing or embedding, just click here.

Ingredients

• Shrimp - 2 pounds. Okay to boil shrimp first (saving broth). 
• Water - 8 cups.to boil shrimp and seafood shells. The strained broth will go into the soup. Okay to substitute a bottle of clam juice plus water.
• 1 Bell Pepper - chopped. Remove the stem and seeds.
• 1 Onion - chopped.
• Celery - 1 stalk chopped. 
• Flour - 2 cups.
• Ro-tel - 10 ounces of tomatoes and chile in the can. Okay to substitute with a can of diced tomatoes.
• Garlic Powder - 1 teaspoon. 
• Dried Basil  - 1 tablespoon. Or any favorite herbs.
• Hot Sauce - 1 teaspoon, optional. Add as much or as little as you can handle.
• Cayenne Pepper - 1 teaspoon, optional.
• Salt and Pepper - to taste. About half a teaspoon.
• Corn - 2 cups.  Fresh or frozen. Add 10 minutes to the cooking time if the corn is fresh.
• Green Onions - 1 bunch chopped. Remove root ends. 
• Cream - 1 cup. Okay to use regular milk or a milk substitute.
• Oil or Butter - 1 tablespoon for sauteing veggies. Any favorite vegetable oil.

Directions.

Matt first boiled unpeeled shrimp 10 to 15 minutes in 8 cups of water for a seafood broth.

Chef Matt went the extra mile in the video. The seafood shells (crab shells), plus carrot and onion, were roasted in the oven for about 10 minutes at 350 degrees. Okay to leave out this step. Boiling shrimp shells (or unpeeled shrimp) will render plenty of flavor for a broth.

If you are using store-bought peeled shrimp okay to add a bottle of clam juice and water, or your favorite broth for extra flavor.

Add chopped veggies to a medium-hot pan with a tablespoon of oil. Stir and saute for about 5 minutes.

Add 2 cups of flour to veggies. Saute flour and veggies for a couple of minutes.

Strain about 8 cups of shrimp/seafood broth and add to sauteed vegetables and flour. Stir to dissolve the flour.

Add a can of Ro-Tel to the soup. Okay to substitute with a can of diced tomato.

Now extra flavors are added. You can use any favorite spices and herbs (dried and fresh) you like or have on hand.

Add herbs and seasonings including basil, salt, pepper, hot sauce, and cayenne pepper (optional).

Use a favorite Hot Sauce. Do you like it hot and spicy or just mild? Add or subtract from Chef Matt's recipe spice amounts and taste as you go so you find the right balance.

Matt used frozen corn cobs. Slice off kernels and break them apart. Okay to use cheaper frozen corn in the bag or even drained canned corn. Add corn kernels to soup. Cook an extra 10 minutes if the corn kernels are raw.

Stir in chopped green onion. This gives the soup extra color and crunch.

Pour in the cream. The soup will thicken in about 5 minutes. Okay to use whole milk or milk substitute.

Add peeled and roughly chopped boiled shrimp to the soup. If shrimp are small then okay to leave them whole.

If shrimp are raw then simmer for about 10 minutes to cook through. 

You want to simmer cooked shrimp for only a couple of minutes to heat Shrimp and Corn Soup.

This recipe is similar to a New England Clam Chowder, thick and creamy with corn instead of potatoes.

Hindsight

A simple seafood broth for this recipe is easily made by boiling whole shrimp with the shells on. Strain if necessary and add the broth after sauteing the veggies and flour.

Shrimp cook quickly when boiled, in about 10 to 15 minutes. They are also easier to peel off the shells when boiled and cooled down.

Matt bought a container of Trinity veggies already chopped. It is more expensive, so it's cheaper to just buy a bell pepper, onion, and a rib or two of celery and chop them yourself - that's what I normally do. (I use leftover celery for my delish Tuna or Chicken Salads.)

Once you finally add the shrimp all that is needed is to warm up the soup to your desired temperature.