Behind the French Menu: the brown crab

from
Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman
behindthefrenchmenu@gmail.com

Le Crabe, Le Crabe Tourteau: The Edible Brown Crab.

Photograph by courtesy of Hans Hillewsert CC-By-SA-3.0.

Crabs are the tasty, eight-legged crustaceans at the heart of many French seafood restaurant menus. Ordering crabs in France is a joy, with a choice from the simplest of dishes to truly special creations. I have never seen such a variety of crab dishes that France offers available anywhere else.

You can order crabs in season, without too many worries as crabs are far less expensive than lobster. Both crabs and lobsters have exquisite tastes, but those tastes and their individual textures are very different. In competitions for the tastiest crustaceans on the planet, it is crabs and lobsters who are always the winners; the only dispute will be who came first and who came second. The European two-clawed European lobster, a slightly sweeter and close cousin of the American two-clawed lobster is called the homard bleu in French and it is very expensive. That is a good reason to enjoy one of the crabs on the menu. The rock lobster, the langouste, the owner of the lobster tail, will also be in contention, but fresh crab is something special.

How to eat boiled crabs.

If you are new to eating fresh crab begin by ordering the simplest dish on the menu. That will be cold fresh crab served with Fresh Mayonnaise or Aioli ; the crab will have been simply prepared by boiling in a broth and then allowing it to cool. This simple recipe allows you to enjoy pulling apart the tasty crab meat from the claws, the legs, and the shell. A bowl of fresh mayonnaise will be on the side. Worry, not the hard work of opening a crab’s carapace, the top part of its shell, is always done by the restaurant. The carapace, the top, is just returned when the crab is served as it looks attractive, it has no other use. All seafood restaurants provide the special tools that allow you to pull the meat from the legs and claws.

Eating crab.

Photograph courtesy of Tella Chen

Unfortunately, few restaurants these days, supply finger bowls, and for this otherwise enjoyable task, you do need one. The finger wipes that many restaurants hand out do not do the trick unless you use five or six. When the dish you have chosen is just crab meat, Chair de Crabe, then all the hard work will have been done by the restaurant.

In this post, I will keep to the most popular crabs and crab dishes. A future post or posts will include more about other crabs on French menus and the snow crab, and the King Crab already have their own links.

French seafood restaurants usually offer, in season, the two most popular local crabs the edible brown crab called the Crabe Tourteau and the European spider crab called the Crabe Araignée or Araignée de Mer. Neither will be on North American menus, and there are very few UK restaurants that offer a whole fresh crab, let alone a choice. Other local edible crabs are available in France; however, most are small and will end up in the fish or crab soup. In any case, when you visit a French seafood restaurant the crabs, including imported crabs that you may order will be named on the menu, or possibly on a blackboard on the wall. Additionally, your server is also there to explain and help you decide. In the larger towns, in the crab season, many restaurants offer trays of cooked crabs by their entrance. These are for locals who want to buy crabs when the markets are closed and wish to enjoy them at home. Diners in the restaurant may also come out and choose their own crab.

The shared name for all crabs in the languages of France’s neighbors:

(Catalan –cranc), (Dutch – krabben), (German - kraben), ( Italian -granchi),(Spanish – cangrejos).

The edible brown crab, the Crabe Tourteau, is so popular in France, it is not always called by its correct name: Crabe Tourteau; instead, it is often just called Le Crabe. Just calling it “Le Crabe” is as if, for the French, there was no other crab in the world. When only one crab is on the menu, then that will usually be “Le Crabe”, the Crabe Tourteau. Despite this crab’s popularity and low price, it is an excellent crab with an orange to brown carapace. Inside the shell, legs and claws are lots of beautiful white crab meat. The fact that the Crabe Tourteau is an inexpensive crab is another reason for making it the most popular crab in France. All crabs have heavy shells, armored legs, and heavy claws and the Crabe Tourteau is no different. The crab meat inside is only about 35% of the total weight. Many restaurants offer this crab by weight. A half-kilo crab will provide maybe 150 grams (5.30 ounces) of crab meat and that is sufficient for most diners, and, of course, larger crabs are available. If the crabs are large you may be offered half a crab. Enjoy.

Crab and corn chowder.

Photograph courtesy of flippinyank

www.flickr.com/photos/26326001@N08/3407831672/

Le Crabe is often offered cold, with fresh mayonnaise, along with a plate of French fries on the side and this is a tasty way to enjoy this crab. When I have been out of France for a while and return with my mouth-watering and my stomach demanding a crab fix, I look for a restaurant with crabs on the menu and I will order Le Crabe with fresh mayonnaise. In France, to order this dish just say Tourteau Mayonnaise, si'il vous plait, (Pronounced: Torto Mayonnaise Sil Voo Play), and a cold boiled edible brown crab served with fresh mayonnaise should be on its way. In small restaurants, Le Crabe with fresh mayonnaise nearly always comes accompanied by French fries on the side. If you are in a restaurant where fries do not come automatically, then order them as a side dish, the French fries make this dish. Fresh crab with mayonnaise but without French Fries is like Moules Frites without French Fries, sacrilege! After I have polished off the crab, I will need to wash my hands as this is a dish where you use your hands. In an upscale restaurant, they may offer a finger bowl, elsewhere they offer those hand wipes, which I hate. If I am offered hand wipes, then I will get up and go and wash my hands in the bathroom. Only then will I be ready for my dessert, coffee, and a digestif.

Want to practice your pronunciation?

Use these excellent free programs, I do:

http://forvo.com/languages/fr/ (Best for single words)

https://www.howtopronounce.com/French/ (Best for phrases).

Crab cocktail

In France, this will be made with the meat of the Crab Tourteau.

Photograph courtesy of Jessica Spengler

www.flickr.com/photos/wordridden/6055633809/

The Crabe Tourteau on French Menus:

Chair de Crabe Tourteau, Crevettes Grises et Mayonnaise Aromatisée – Crab meat, prepared by the restaurant and served alongside cold, boiled, tasty, sand shrimps accompanied by an aromatic fresh mayonnaise.

Gâteau de Crabe Tourteau, Sauce Cocktail au Raifort, Pousses de Radis Noir- A cake of edible brown crab meat served with a horseradish sauce and black radish sprouts. Raifort sauce originated in the Alsace but is now is on menus all over France. To ensure that the sauce is not too spicy only about 20% of the volume is actually horseradish. The sauce has a cream or crème fraiche base with bread crumbs and finely ground horseradish. Different chefs will slightly change the taste by adding mustard, or vinegar and sometimes sugar.

A crab cake.

Photograph courtesy of Prayitno

www.flickr.com/photos/prayitnophotography/8561750218/

Crabe Mayonnaise – As described above, this is a menu listing for the crab tourteau served with fresh mayonnaise. Ask if French fries are included or have to be ordered separately, that's a Portion de Frites, a plate of French fries.

Tourteau Mayonnaise – Exactly the same as Crabe Mayonnaise .

Velouté d'Asperges, Crabe et Jambon Blanc.- A smooth velvety asparagus soup served with crab and boiled ham.

The Crabe Tourteau, the edible brown crab in the languages of France’s neighbors:

(Catalan – bou de mer), (Dutch - noordzeekrab),(German - taschenkrebs), (Italian - granciporro or maguro), (Spanish - buey de mar, buey, paguro or sabago), (Latin - cancer pagurus).

Crab bisque

Photograph courtesy of Ralph Daily

www.flickr.com/photos/ralphandjenny/3801612575/

Crabe Araignée or Araignée de Mer

The European spider crab.

The European spider crab is the second most popular crab in France but considered by the crab cognoscenti to be even better tasting than the crabe tourteau. I accept their verdict as its second place in the popularity ratings is due only to its price, not its taste.

Crabe Araignée - The European Spider Crab

Photograph by courtesy of the FAO.

The European Spider Crab is a relatively smaller member of the much larger spider crab family and includes as a cousin the Alaskan king crab. The Alaskan king crab is also available, as an import, in France. Despite the comparison with larger crabs the European spider crab is not exactly tiny, it must be at least 120cm, (47 inches), when stretched out or it must be thrown back. This European minimum size is now being increased to prevent overfishing.

Crab, Ginger and Coriander Broth with Mussels

Photograph courtesy of Tristan Ferne

www.flickr.com/photos/tristanf/2681920717/

When I am dining with friends at a seafood restaurant, we will often enjoy splitting two crab dishes. One of us will choose the crabe araignée and the other the crabe tourteau. If you point at the two dishes on the menu and say “Moitié-moitié”, Half and half, the waiter will serve the two dishes already divided for two diners; each diner has one-half of the other's dish. if we are three or more, then we will add a prepared crab dish. One of the best spider crab dishes is Araignée de Mer Décortiquée, shelled spider crab. Usually served with its meat simply roasted in butter. Nevertheless, the recipes offered for the crabe araignée are as endless as those for the crabe tourteau so choose well.

N.B. This is not a menus listing:

Araignée de Mer ou Tourteau Selon Arrivage - The spider crab or the crabe tourteau are one the menu depending on when and what is delivered. Crabs will be delivered fresh daily and by the afternoon one of these two crabs may be off the menu,

The European Spider crab on French Menus:

Araignée, Bulots, Bigorneaux, 12 Crevettes Roses. The spider crab served with whelks, periwinkles and 12 pink shrimps. This is a large serving and is enough for two diners. Bulots and whelks served cold with fresh mayonnaise and French fries on the side is nearly as popular as crab and fresh mayonnaise. In the menu listing here you may satisfy all your desires and the spider crab and 12 pink shrimps are included.

The European Spider Crab on sale in the market.

Photograph courtesy of Chez mon Poissonnier

Assiette de Fruits de Mer; 1/2 Araignée, 2 Crevettes Roses, 1 langoustine, 3 Huitres no 4. A plate with assorted seafood: half a spider crab, 2 pink shrimps, 1 langoustine, 3 oysters size 4. A langoustine is the Dublin Bay Prawn; a tasty crustacean though it is neither a shrimp nor a prawn. With only one included in the serving, and just a little meat in the tail, this is a teaser; the house wants you to order more. If you like the langoustine, with all the meat in the tail, the restaurant will be offering them in half dozens. The three oysters no 4 are small oysters, the smallest served in any restaurant; however, they may be tasty. Nevertheless, a seafood special including size 4 oysters and a single Dublin Bay Prawn indicates that the plate will be inexpensive. For more about how oysters are served, and billed, by size click here.

Crabe Araignée Mayonnaise, Assiette de Frites. A whole spider crab served with fresh mayonnaise and a plate of French fries, a plate of chips

Mousette or Crabe de Mai - Young spider crab, under two years old.

Pressé de Chair de Crabe Araignée aux Fines Herbes, Mayonnaise et Ciboulette. The meat from the spider crab served with fresh mayonnaise made with fine herbs herb group and chives. The fine herbs group already includes chives so for this dish extra chives will have been added for their flavor.

The spider crab ready to eat

Photograph courtesy of Cuisine à l’Ouest

The European Spider Crab in the languages of France’s neighbors:

(Catalan - cabra de mar), (Dutch - grote spinkrab),(German - grosse seespinne or teufelskrabbe), (Italian -granseola), (Spanish - centolla, moelo, pateiro), (Latin - maja squinado).

Crabe Mou - Soft-shelled crabs.

Soft-shelled crabs will be on French seafood restaurants menus, during their season. in France, that runs more or less from May through September. At other times frozen imports of soft-shelled crabs may be on the menu. Soft-shelled crabs are crabs caught when they shed their shells and have not yet grown a new hard one. At this time the crabs hide amongst the rocks, in great numbers, for their assumed safety. The crabbers who go after the soft shelled crabs have just four days before the shell begins to harden. When ordering soft-shelled crabs, I have found the best recipes to be the simplest and the tastiest.

Crabe Mou Croustillant, Radis Noir et Betterave Chioggia - Crisply fried soft shell crab served with the black radish shoots and the rather amazing beetroot of Chioggia near Venice,.This amazing beetroot is not all red inside rather it has concentric rings of red and white. (For more about the wonderful vegetables of Chioggia and the area click here.)

Friture de Crabe Mou, Citron Vert, Shichimi – A fry up of small soft-shelled crabs flavored with lime and shichimi.

Soft-shelled crab fried with a cornmeal crust

Photograph courtesy of stu_spivack

www.flickr.com/photos/stuart_spivack/141750174/

Shichimi is a Japanese herb group (not to be confused with the Korean pickles called kimchi) that includes seven flavors: red chili, black sesame, white sesame, Yuzu peel, sansho pepper, dried ginger, and dried seaweed. This spice group is not as hot as it sounds and is often part of a mayonnaise or aioli, or used in Japanese cuisine to flavor hot noodles (udon) and soba.

Soft shell crab lightly breaded and fried served with Aioli

Photograph courtesy of Larry Hoffman

www.flickr.com/photos/dinesarasota/4771876378/

Petit Crabe Mou Sauté à l'Aïl et au Poivre.- Small soft-shelled crabs lightly fried in garlic and pepper.

Soft shell crabs are a real delicacy; you eat the whole crab and there is no hard work involved. If the menu offers: Crabes Mou Grillés, grilled soft-shelled crabs, go for it. This is a treat; absolutely one of the best ways to appreciate soft shell crabs.

Le Crabe Bleu - The blue crab.

The blue crab, also called the Chesapeake crab is the most widely distributed crab in the Americas; the blue crab is not a regular on French menus as it is considered an intruder, which it is. The blue crab was accidentally released on France’s Atlantic coast in the 1950s and for years local crab fishermen and women just ignored them. These crabs having been left alone for so long are now embedded in great numbers along France's Atlantic coast and have also found homes in the Mediterranean Sea. They are just beginning to be serious contenders for a place on Portuguese, Spanish, French, and Italian menus.

The blue crab

Photograph by courtesy of Steve Wilde

www.flickr.com/photos/stevewilde/3923786255/

The blue crab on menus on France:

Bisque de Homard Garnie à l'Effiloché de Crabe Bleu et Cerfeuil – A lobster bisque garnished with slices of the blue crab and flavored with chervil.

Crabe Bleu à la Sauce Aigre-Douce: - Blue crab served with a sweet and sour sauce.

Linguine de Crabe Bleu à l'Ail, Tomate Cerise et Basilic – Linguine served with the meat of the blue crab flavored with garlic, cherry tomatoes, and basil. (Linguine is that nearly flat Italian pasta that looks like somewhat like flattened spaghetti or narrow fettuccine).

When blue crabs find their way into crab pots intended for more expensive crabs they will not be thrown back as they were until a few years ago. Now they may be a daily special in a seafood restaurant or more likely they will be flavoring the crab soup. If you have grown up eating blue crabs you may need to make quite a number of phone calls as they are still a rarity. When blue crabs were accidentally emptied into French waters, they did not appeal to the French idea of how a crab should look. Worse of all they were an intruder and compete for food and living quarters with the Tourteau and the Araignée. Despite not starring on many French menus it is the blue crabs that provide most of the soft shell crabs sold in France.

Blue Crab Cakes with Lemon Aioli and Fried Red Tomatoes

Photograph by courtesy of Susan Lucas Hoffman

www.flickr.com/photos/64141731@N00/7949827826/

The Blue Crab in the languages of France’s neighbors:

(Catalan - cranc blau), (Dutch - blauwe zwemkrab), (German – blaukrabbe), (Italian - granchio nuotatore), (Spanish - cangrejo azul), (Latin - callinectes sapidus).

There are posts on the Crabe de Neige, the Snow Crab, and the Alaskan King Crab as they also grace many French menus. Then, still a future post on crabs should include some of the best crab dishes that I have eaten or possibly just tasted. Another post will be about the small local crabs that French chefs use for their flavor. These small crabs are usually too small to be offered on their own, but occasionally some larger ones are caught and then three or four may make some special dishes on the menu.

Crabe Royal d'Alaska

This is a six and one-half kilo (14.3 lb) Alaskan King Crab.

Photograph courtesy of A. Lau.

Crabe des Neiges

The Snow Crab

Photograph by courtesy of the FA0.

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