Market basket: Keep canned crab in the cupboard for soups, hot dips
Canned food items are a must for every pantry. They provide spur of the moment menu options and are relatively inexpensive while having a long shelf life. You’ve likely got canned veggies, fruits, sauces and tuna on hand. But don’t overlook another great option — canned crabmeat.
While I wouldn’t use it for just any crab dish, there are certainly recipes that benefit from it. Dishes like dips are perfect for canned crab, as well as soups, some salads, pasta dishes and sandwiches. That’s why you need it.
The reason it works well in these types of recipes is that it gives you a nice crab flavor. This is done literally on a dime when compared to using fresh or frozen options.
Canned crab is priced and labeled according to size and where the meat comes from. The least expensive is in small pieces that is labeled "flaked." I have seen it sometimes labeled "salad crab," but this really isn’t your best option for use on a green salad. It would be fine for a mayonnaise based cold salad prepared as you would from canned tuna.
The pieces in flaked crab cans are so small that it almost appears as if it has been minced. This version is perfect for dips. Drain as you would canned tuna by pressing the excess water from the meat.
For bigger pieces as a general rule, rather than labeled as crab chunks it will be instead called lumps. These are larger pieces that come from the body of the crab. This is the crab you can easily use in green salads and sandwiches. Draining is quick and easy, and it’s moist.
A standard size for canned crab is 4.25 ounces. This will give you roughly two-thirds of a cup if flaked and pressed to drain. The same size can of lump crabmeat drained is three-fourths of a cup.
You asked for it
Jimmy Polk of New Orleans writes, “I have some dishes my Mother called earthenware. They have a shiny glaze. Can I use these as I would any ovenware?”
Jimmy,
Yes you can as long as the glaze isn’t cracked. That coating makes the dishes non-porous. Allow them to cool after use to room temperature before washing to prevent any cracks.
Tammy Algood is the author of five cookbooks and can be seen on “Volunteer Gardener” on PBS stations in Tennessee. Follow her at www.hauteflavor.com
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Market basket: Keep canned crab in the cupboard for soups, hot dips
