Crab Pâté
I used to make this at The Great Tree Hotel in Devon. In summer, the shellfish caught off the coasts of Devon and Cornwall is especially tasty and plentiful, they made this dish very popular.
I used to make this at The Great Tree Hotel in Devon. In summer, the shellfish caught off the coasts of Devon and Cornwall is especially tasty and plentiful, they made this dish very popular.
- Carbohydrate 4.86840833333333 g
- Cholesterol 2018.96 mg
- Fat 352.713913333333 g
- Fiber 0.0149666670088967 g
- Protein 27.170795 g
- Saturated Fat 216.567658 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (548g)
- Sodium 2578.5215 mg
- Sugar 4.85344166632444 g
- Trans Fat 24.0173276666667 g
- Calories 3245 calories
Step-by-step
- Melt the butter in a saucepan and stir in the crabmeat (make sure that you have picked over the crabmeat removing all the shell), heat gently stirring together.
- Beat the egg yolks, cream, and sherry together and add to the crab, continue cooking and stirring until the mixture thickens, keep the heat on low, add the parmesan cheese and let it melt.
- Remove from the heat, season to taste with Tabasco sauce and lemon juice and let cool.
- Give the mixture a good stir, then pour into a dish, cover, and chill overnight.
Controlling the Heat
Keep the heat strictly on low when introducing the beaten egg yolks and sherry mixture to the warm crab and butter pan. If the temperature rises too quickly, the eggs will curdle rather than thicken the mixture into a smooth emulsion. Whisk constantly during this critical phase to distribute the thermal energy evenly across the dairy and proteins.
Scaling with Precision
Multiplying rich ingredients like butter, cheese, and shellfish requires careful portioning to avoid waste and manage costs effectively. Halving this yield works well in a standard saucepan, but reducing the quantity of egg yolks below two makes achieving the correct emulsion difficult without changing the pan size to maintain proper surface area contact. Each batch should chill for at least eight hours to allow the fats to solidify fully.
Adjusting Components
Swapping medium sherry for dry white wine changes the acidity and sweetness balance, which may require a slight adjustment in the final drops of lemon juice. While freshly grated Parmesan adds essential savory depth through glutamates, substituting a hard aged cheese like Pecorino will increase the sodium content noticeably because of its saltier profile.
