Chilean Crab Bisque

1 tablespoon minced onion                               
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
2 tablespoons flour                                             
2 cups chicken broth
2 cups half-and-half                                            
1 pound crabmeat
Salt                                                                     
Chopped parsley

Sauté onion in butter. Add flour: cook and stir 1 minute. Gradually stir in chicken broth and half-and-half; cook and stir 5 minutes. Break crab into chunks; add to broth. Salt to taste. Heat thoroughly. Garnish with parsley.

Makes 6 servings

Crab-stuffed Chicken Breasts 

2 tablespoons minced onion             
3 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley  
1 teaspoon minced fresh dill
1 teaspoon minced garlic                   
1/8 teaspoon lemon-pepper
4 ounces crabmeat
2 eggs beaten to blend                                       
3 cups fresh breadcrumbs                 
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter        
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
All purpose flour

Combine first six ingredients in medium bowl. Add crab and mix in thoroughly. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and chill.
Using a small sharp knife, cut horizontally through the center of each chicken breast, creating a pocket. Fill each pocket with ¼ of stuffing. Dip each chicken piece into flour, then eggs, then crumbs to coat, covering completely.

Melt butter with oil in a heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add chicken breast halves to skillet and cook until golden brown and cooked through, about 10 minutes per side.

Serves 4

Crab-meat Gratin

2  tablespoons minced carrot                            
2  tablespoons minced celery
1  tablespoon unsalted butter                           
2  tablespoons minced red bell pepper
½ cup chicken broth                                           
¼ cup dry vermouth or dry white wine
¼ teaspoon dried taragon, crumbled
½ cup heavy cream
½ pound crabmeat                                                  
¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
fresh lemon juice to taste

In a small heavy saucepan cook carrot, celery, and bell pepper in butter over moderate heat, stirring, 1 minute. Add broth, vermouth or wine, and tarragon and boil mixture until liquid is reduced to about 1 tablespoon. Add cream and boil sauce until thickened, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in crabmeat, lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste and divide mixture between two 1-cup shallow baking dishes. Sprinkle Parmesan over crab mixture and set dishes in shallow baking pan. Broil gratin about 4 inches from heat 2 minutes, or until bubbling and golden, and serve with toast

Serves 2

Crab Salad with Sun-dried Tomato Louis Dressing

Dressing:

1 ¼ cups mayonnaise                                         
1/3 cup finely chopped drained oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
¼ cup milk                                                                  
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice         
1 ½ tablespoons chopped fresh chives
1 ½ teaspoons tomato paste                             
1 ½ tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
¼ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce  
¼ teaspoon hot pepper sauce

Salad:

1 pound crabmeat                                               
12 cups lightly packed bite-size pieces romaine lettuce (from 2 heads)
1 cup cherry tomatoes                                        
Lemon wedges                                    
2 large hard-boiled eggs, cut into wedges
1 pound asparagus, trimmed to 5-inch lengths

Wisk first 9 ingredients in a medium bowl to blend. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and chill

Cook asparagus in saucepan of boiling salted water until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Drain. Transfer to bowl of icewater; cool. Drain. Cover and Chill

Place lettuce in large bowl. Toss with enough dressing to coat. Mound lettuce on plates. Top with crab. Garnish with asparagus, tomatoes, eggs and lemon. Pass remaining dressing separately.
Serves 4 to 6

Crab and Tomato Quesadillas

¼ cup fresh cilantro                                            
1 ½ cups (packed) grated Monterey Jack Cheese
2 tablespoons orange juice                               
2 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
2 teaspoons grated orange peel       
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel

8 ounces crabmeat                                              
1 cup chopped deeded plum tomatoes
½ cup chopped green onions                           
1 tablespoon minced seeded jalapeno pepper
8 7-8 inch flour tortillas                      
5 taplespoons (about) vegetable oil

Mix first six ingredients in medium bowl to blend. Season cheese mixture to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be made one day ahead. Cover and chill. Bring to room temperature before continuing.)

Mix crabmeat, tomatoes, green onions and chili in large bowl. Spread cheese mixture over half of each tortilla. Spoon crabmeat mixture atop cheese mixture, dividing equally. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Fold tortillas I half. Press gently to seal.

Heat 1 ½ tablespoons oil in each of 2 heavy large skillets over medium heat. Working in batches, cook quesadillas in skillets until cheese melts and tortillas are golden brown, adding more oil as needed, about 3 minutes per side. Cut quesadillas into wedges and serve.

Serves 4

Garlicky Linguine with Crab, Red Bell Pepper and Pine Nuts

5 tablespoons unsalted butter                          
1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped                         
¼ teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
½ cup dry white wine                                         
12 ounces linguine
1 8-ounce bottle clam juice                
1 pound fresh crabmeat
¼ cup finely chopped fresh parsley                
1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Melt butter in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add bell pepper; cover and cook 2 minutes. Add garlic and crushed red pepper; cover and cook 2 minutes. Increase heat to high, add wine and boil 2 minutes. Set aside.

Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain pasta, reserving ½ cup cooking water.

Return pasta to pot. Add clam juice, ½ cup cooking water and bell pepper mixture. Cook over high heat until pasta absorbs half of liquid, about 2 minutes. Add crab and toss until heated through, about 1 minute. Mix in parsley. Season to taste with pepper. Divide pasta among bowls. Sprinkle with pine nuts. Serve passing cheese separately. Makes 4 servings

Mussel and Crabmeat Fritters

Fritter batter:

1 cup flour, sifted                                
½ teaspoon salt
2/3 cup mild                                                          
2 eggs
1 tablespoon melted butter

Breading:

2 pounds mussels                                               
1 cup fine bread crumbs
½ cup crabmeat                                   
Pinch of salt, pepper and nutmeg
3 tablespoons olive oil                       
lemon quarter
Parsley

Combine all fritter-batter ingredients and blend well. Steam mussels and shuck. Mix bread crumbs and crabmeat thoroughly. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste.

Dip mussel meat in fritter batter, then roll in bread crumb mixture. Sauté breaded mussel meats in olive oil until lightly browned. Serve immediately with lemon quarters and parsley. Cocktail sauce works well as a dip for this dish.

Makes 4 servings

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