GRANSEOLA
ALLA VENEZIANA

VENETIAN-STYLE SPIDER CRAB

Spider crab is an unmissable antipasto dish in Venetian cuisine, a luxury you mustn’t deny yourself. It is served simply dressed with a drizzle of mildly flavoured olive oil, a squeeze of lemon and a hint of parsley, which showcases its delicate and tasty flesh. This large crustacean is found in the Mediterranean and Adriatic. Choose small spider crabs, weighing 250 g–300 g (9 oz–10¹/₂ oz). They’re more delicate than the large ones and better suited to an antipasto course. The recipe is simple, you just need time and patience!

SERVES 6 PREPARATION TIME: 1¹/₂ HOURS COOKING TIME: 20 MINUTES

¹/₂ a lemon plus the juice of 3 lemons

Peppercorns

6 live spider crabs, or crab of your choice

Mild olive oil

A few flat-leaf (Italian) parsley sprigs, chopped

Place crabs in the freezer for 30 minutes to put to sleep. Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil with the half lemon, a few peppercorns and some salt. Drop in the spider crabs. Cook for 20 minutes on a very gentle simmer, then leave them to cool in the cooking liquid. Drain the crabs. Detach the legs and claws and crack them with a nutcracker. Remove the meat with a crab fork and set aside. Open up the shell by cutting into the ventral section, extract the gills, then remove the roe and place in a bowl. Take out the coral and place it in another container. Carefully remove the meat and cut it into small pieces, using a crab fork for the difficult parts, and making sure to separate hard parts and remove any cartilage. Set the flesh aside together with the coral and the meat from the claws and legs. Mix together the roe and the creamy brownish part of the spider crab in another bowl and season with salt and pepper. Drizzle the meat and coral with olive oil and add salt, pepper, a little lemon juice and parsley. Mix together gently then place in the emptied and cleaned shells. Serve with the roe mixture. Enjoy at room temperature.