Recipe by: Michael Cimarusti
Chef/owner of Providence in Los Angeles, California.
Ingredients
(Serves 4)
1 large (2 pounds) cooked Dungeness crab
1 bunch green onions
Bouillon
2 pounds chicken legs
Coarse kosher salt
1 lime
1 orange
2 kaffir lime leaves (optional)
1 small onion, peeled, cut into quarters
1 large shallot, peeled
1 large carrot, cut into 2-inch pieces
1 garlic clove
1 lemongrass stalk, cut into 1-inch pieces, or a 2-inch strip lemon peel
1 cinnamon stick
1 whole star anise
15 black peppercorns
Ravioli
4 ounces ground fatty pork
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
1 shallot, minced
1 garlic clove, minced
2 teaspoons minced fresh mint
2 teaspoons minced fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon grated lime zest
1/4 teaspoon grated orange zest
1/8 teaspoon ground white pepper
All-purpose flour
1, 10-ounce package gyōza/potsticker wrappers
Garnish
1 small carrot, peeled, thinly sliced into rounds
1 small onion, thinly sliced
1, 3 1/2-ounce package buna-shimeji (brown beech) mushrooms, bunapi-shimeji (white beech) mushrooms, or enoki mushrooms, cut into 1-inch long pieces
20 fresh mint leaves
12 fresh cilantro leaves
12 small, fresh basil leaves, preferably Thai basil
1 red jalapeno, thinly sliced with seeds
Directions
Remove the crabmeat from the shells, reserving the shells for the bouillon. Place the meat in a small bowl; cover and refrigerate. Cut the white part of the green onions from the green part. Thinly slice the lower 2 inches of the green part; place in a small bowl, cover and refrigerate. Reserve the white part for the bouillon.
Bouillon
Place the crab shells, chicken legs and a pinch of salt in a large pot. Add 2 quarts of water and bring to a gentle boil. Skim off any particles and fat that rise to the surface. Using a vegetable peeler, remove the peel (colored part only) from the lime and orange and add the peel to the pot. Reserve the fruit for another use. Add the white part of the green onions and all the remaining ingredients for the bouillon. Cover partially and simmer slowly for 3 hours, skimming the surface occasionally.
Strain the broth through a fine mesh sieve into a metal bowl. Season to taste with salt. Set the bowl in a larger bowl filled with ice and water and chill quickly. (The broth can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)
Ravioli
Combine the crabmeat, pork and egg yolk in a medium bowl and combine with a fork. Mix in half the sliced green onions, the ginger, shallot, garlic, mint, cilantro, salt, lime and orange zest and white pepper.
Dust a large baking sheet with flour. Place 4 gyoza wrappers on a work surface. Place 1 teaspoon crabmeat mixture in the center of each wrapper. Dip a finger in a bowl of cold water and then spread the water around the edges of the wrappers. Fold the wrapper in half, enclosing the filling; press the edges together to seal. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Dry the work surface and then repeat with the remaining wrappers and filling. (There is enough filling for about 50 ravioli. As a starter, use 8 ravioli per serving. Freeze the remaining uncooked ravioli in a single layer. When frozen wrap in plastic and freeze for another use. Do not thaw before cooking.)
Garnish
Place the carrot slices in a small bowl. Arrange the remaining sliced green onions and garnishes on a plate.
Final Preparation
Bring a large pot of salted water and a kettle of unsalted water to a boil. Bring the bouillon to a simmer in a medium saucepan; remove from the heat and cover to keep hot.
Pour the water from the kettle into 4 shallow bowls to heat them. Add the sliced carrots and 32 ravioli to the pot of salted water. Boil gently until the ravioli are tender and the filling is cooked through, about 4 minutes. Check by removing 1 ravioli and cutting into the center.
Hints from the chef:
Lemongrass, star anise, gyoza wrappers and buna-shimeji mushrooms can be found in many grocery stores and Asian markets. Citrusy and floral, kaffir lime leaves are sold frozen in Asian markets.
Stone crab claws will also work in this recipe; replace the Dungeness crab with an equal weight of stone crab.
Conservation Note:
Crab, Dungeness, Wild, Domestic is a “Good Alternative”
Buy, but be aware there are concerns with how they’re caught or farmed.
Recipe courtesy of Seafood Watch ® a registered service mark of the Monterrey Bay Aquarium Foundation.
