| Product: |
Sainsbury White Crab Meat |
| Date: |
16/10/06 (193 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: Almost as good as fresh, great flavour, satisfying and dellcious
Disadvantages: None
I'm a sucker for all things crustacean. Fresh lobster, shrimp, crevette, crab - whatever it is, bring it on. I guess what I'm travelling my ultimate favourite winter treat is the Floridian stone crab. This delicacy is made all the more attractive because only its huge claw is harvested and the animal is thrown back into the ocean to grow a new one. Unfortunately it only has a short season from mid October to mid May.
In our part of the world cooked shrimp and prawns are available at most supermarkets. It is somewhat unusual though to find other than dressed crab - a half shell packed with miscellaneous flake white and coral meat, covered in a piece of polythene. Recently I found an alternative source of white crab meat which is almost as delicious as fresh caught and which can be used equally cold with salad or as an ingredient for several fish dishes.
Sainsbury's white crab meat comes from crabs caught by fishermen and prepared locally in Vietnam. The meat is taken from the claws and legs (there is no pink or coral used here). It is lightly simmered in salted water and added sugar, citric acid and preservatives. The meat is then broken up into thumbnail sized chunks, canned, labelled and shipped to the UK.
The label has a predominantly yellow background while the contents of the tin are identified in white and orange print. There is a picture of the silhouette of a shrimp boat. With the top removed the crab meat is protected with a layer of greaseproof and gives off a dainty and light salty seaside aroma. The meat has a pleasant sweet and salty crab flavour and a firm texture. To date I have not found any shards of shell in any one of the tins.
This is a very low calorie and low fat foodstuff. The drained weight of flesh is 120 grams (gross weight in the tin with the liquid is 170 grams) and 100 grams provides 77 kcals. One tin is sufficient for two people.
The price: £ 2.17 per can
A MENU
Here's a delicious serving suggestion now that you have opened the tin of crab and admired the contents. The supermarkets still have good stocks of fresh asparagus. Combined with chicken and crab this most English of vegetables is very quick and easy to prepare but wonderful and filling dinner dish.
The origin of this recipe is attributed to King Oscar II of Sweden (1829 - 1907) who was reputed to thoroughly enjoy escallops of veal dressed with crab and asparagus. This alternative version using chicken is considered to be more politically correct.
Classic Chicken Oscar (Serves 4)
1 tin Sainsbury's White Crab Meat
4 chicken breasts (boned)
24 asparagus spears
1 small onion
1 tomato
Seasoned flour
Seasoning to taste.
Small quantity of Oil
Knob of butter
1 jar Sainsbury's Hollandaise sauce
Place each chicken breast between layers of cling film and beat flat with a rolling pin. Season flour with freshly milled pepper and dip both sides of the chicken to coat. Place the asparagus in slightly salted boiling water for about three minutes - the stalks should be tender but still slightly crisp. If used, you could tie the asparagus spears into a bundle and boil in an asparagus pot.
Melt the knob of butter with a small amount of oil in a skillet. Place the chicken breasts in the skillet, turning once, until cooked and each side is browned (about four minutes per side) Keep warm in a hot oven. In the mean time, finely chop the onion and the tomato. Add the onion to the skillet and cook over a moderate heat until it starts to caramelise. Then add the chopped tomato and season with a little more pepper (I also added a small quantity of paprika, mixed herbs and ground cinnamon), turn up the heat and mix together to dry off. Don't let the mixture burn! Turn down the heat again and add the drained crab meat. Stir thoroughly. Heat through the Hollandaise sauce.
To assemble the dish:
Place the chicken breast onto a plate Arrange six asparagus spears on top of the chicken. Then place a mound of the crab meat mixture on top of the asparagus and drizzle Hollandaise sauce over the assembly. Serve with boiled new potatoes
Irresistible! You could try making your own Hollandaise sauce if you have the time.
Summary: A champion standby for a quick salad or celebration dish
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