Shanghai Hairy Crab Ravioli – The Perfect Fusion Of East Meets West
All over China, seafood are plentiful so, the Chinese are used to eating fresh seafood all the time. In fact, they have incorporated them with a lot of different innovative dishes that are a feast to both the eyes as well as the stomach. There are a lot of fresh crabs available in the markets located in China but the most popular crab in China, specifically in Shanghai, is the hairy crab. This particular crustacean is known for both its appearance and taste. They are small and dark gray in color. Furthermore, both male and female hairy crabs have claws that have dark cuffs resembling mink muffs and their legs have stiff hairs that give them a spiky look. As for taste, its white flesh gives off a delicate freshwater flavor and when you cook it with different spices and sauces, it becomes a truly unforgettable dish that teases both your palate as well as your senses.
Hairy crabs are so popular in Shanghai that from October to February because during this cold season, it is this time that the sweetest, fattest and roe-laden hairy crabs become abundant. In fact, many local restaurants here serve crab dishes such as stir-fried crab meat with roe, crab legs and crab meat wontons.
There are a lot of easy to follow recipes that you can use in order to transform the Shanghai hairy crab into a delectable dish but for this article, we have taken the culinary arts to another level by introducing to you one of the Chitalian recipes below that mixes this specific Chinese seafood ingredient with Italian pasta that we know you can sure make at home and enjoy with your family.
Recipe courtesy Sandra Lee
Prep Time: 30 min
Inactive Prep Time: hr min
Cook Time: 16 min
Difficulty Level: Easy
Serves: 8 servings
Ingredients
6 ounces Shanghai Harry Crab meat (or substitute Bumble Bee brand canned crabmeat)
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 (12-ounce) package wonton wrappers
1 egg, beaten
1 cup milk
1 (1.3-ounce) package creamy tomato sauce mix (recommended: Knorr)
2 tablespoons butter
Chopped parsley, for garnish
Directions
Drain crabmeat, reserving liquid. In a small bowl, combine crabmeat, cheese, and Italian seasoning. Brush a wonton wrapper with the beaten egg. Place about 1/2 teaspoon crab mixture in the center, and fold wrapper diagonally to create a triangle. Press edges to seal. Transfer to a flour-dusted baking sheet. Repeat until all of crab filling has been used; this should make about 32 ravioli.
Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, combine milk and reserved drained crab liquid over medium-high heat. Whisk in sauce, add butter, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring frequently, for 3 minutes. Keep sauce warm over low heat while you boil the ravioli. In batches of 8, drop ravioli into boiling water. Cook for 2 minutes, or until ravioli rise to the surface. With a slotted spoon, carefully transfer ravioli to sauce. Repeat until all ravioli are cooked. Divide ravioli equally among 8 plates. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.
Vito Wong’s Chitalian Foods is a fantastic fusion of Chinese and Italian flavors. Now that you know how Chitalian cuisine offers a unique blend of ingredients and cooking methods resulting in new, sumptuous dishes, why don't you give one of our recipes a try and find out? You can see them all at www.Vito-Wong-Chinese-Italian-Food.com.
Click the XML Icon Above to Receive Recipes Articles Via RSS!
