What is crab paste, anyway?

This is the recipe for ribeye from U.S Short Is Sweet . collection It illustrates quite a few of the easiest ways to make homemade steaks taste like they did in a restaurant. First, the meat is cooked in a hot cast iron skillet on top of the grill, which allows you to get a powerful roast on both sides without setting off a fire alarm. Second, it is constantly smeared with a delicious mixture of ginger, garlic, lemongrass, and most importantly, crab paste.

Taste the steak In any fat is a great way to spice up the richness and juiciness of meat without clouding its current flavor. If you’ve ever left a steakhouse and wondered why your dinner was so good, the answer almost certainly was. Slathered with melted butter and herbs during cooking. (I mean, when isn’t the answer just ‘butter’?) But here, Silver Cousler– Next chefشيف Ning Junior In Asheville, North Carolina – Uses crab paste, which provides the same richness with the addition of umami, some fermented funk and a fluid-filled moment per bite.

Wait, what exactly is crab paste?

While the exact recipe varies somewhat from region to region and brand to brand, crab paste is usually a mixture of fermented crab guts and roe with some type of acid such as vinegar or citrus and oil, making it a prime candidate for cooking meat while roasting. they cook. “I consider it a delicacy, and it’s usually bright orange and made with all kinds of lobster,” says Cousler. “The brighter the better, the better.” Cousler personally prefers the Filiipinx brand. Navarro, although the Thai brand Por Kwan’s version is a good alternative as well.

Crab paste is not to be confused with crab fat, a mixture of fresh indoor crustaceans and roe that’s also common in Filipino and other Southeast Asian cuisines, and which Kosler says they typically find at the seafood counter or specialty market. By contrast, fermented crab dough is shelf stable until opened, and can be found in jars or tubs at most. Asian Grocery. It brings intense, varied flavors to the table right out of the container, which is why it’s a winner for quick recipes like this summer. Cousler notes that it is similar to bagong, a Fermented Filipino Shrimp Paste With huge flavour, though, the crab paste is more tender and rich.

Photography by Emma Fishman, food design by Susie Theodoro, prop design by Elizabeth Jaime

What can I do with crab paste?

In addition to fermentation, crab dough has a lot of potential for home cooking. Because the ingredients are cooked before fermentation, crab paste can be used as a seasoning straight from the jar, making it one of the easiest ways to add complex, fishy flavors to a bowl of white rice as a side dish or snack. Some crab dough –Like korean gejeot-More spreadable and homogeneous, while others have larger lobster cuts, so it’s worth experimenting with some brands and varieties to find the toppings that best suit your needs.

For a more filling meal, Cousler suggests making crab paste fried rice. They treat the dough as a sofrito base—fry it in a skillet alongside garlic, onions, and pickled peppers—before adding cooked rice, vegetables, and other toppings, then cook until they’re a nice caramel color. They add, “You can use crab paste as a soup base,” but it won’t dissolve completely. It will leave a greasy top, and I love dirty soups like that. “

If you really love the flavor of crustaceans and want to go the extra mile, Cousler recommends layering fermented crab paste over fresh oysters. They say “I like to have high quality shrimp and put crab dough on top”. “It’s very simple and people are saying ‘This is crazy! “It’s seafood over seafood.”