Recipe: King crab roll with wasabi mayo

I recently wrote about Rodney’s Oyster House and Pearl Diver—both seafood restaurants in Toronto—so to close out my Canada series, I’ve got a crab roll recipe for you today.But it’s not your traditional crab roll. It’s crab rolls with a Japanese twist.I have an affinity for wasabi mayo because it’s creamy, clears your sinuses, and goes so well with seafood.I made these crab rolls for a corporate event I did in New York, and they were a hit. I chose crab over lobster because, frankly, I tend to favor crab—the meat is sweeter and more tender.The difference between a good roll and a great roll is in the bread: the more butter you get on that thing before toasting it, the richer it will taste. Butter, after all, makes the world go round (if only to grease its axis). But I sympathize with those who need or want to limit their fat intake in spite of recent studies claiming some fats are actually good for you, so use your judgment and scale back the butter (or slop on more) as you so desire. Of course, you don’t want the buttery bread to overwhelm and drown out the filling—the crab should be the star.

Recipe: Crab Roll with Wasabi Mayo

Notes: King crab offers a good balance between volume and flavor, but you can use any crab. Furikake is a seaweed topping found in many Japanese or Asian markets. Micro-cilantro is just young cilantro, but you can use regular grown-up cilantro if you can’t find these babies.

Ingredients

1. 2.5 lbs king crab legs in shell
2. 1/4 c mayonnaise
3. 1 tbsp creme fraiche or sour cream
4. 2 tsp wasabi paste
5. 1/4 tsp celery salt
6. 1 stalk scallion, thinly sliced on the bias
7. 1 tbsp furikake
8. 8 New England split top rolls
9. 1/2 lb unsalted butter, melted
10. 4 tsp finely chopped micro-cilantro

Instructions

1. Cook crab: In a stockpot, bring to boil salted water and cook crab legs for 6m; shock in ice bath. Peel and reserve crab meat.
2. Make crab salad: In a small bowl, mix together mayonnaise, creme fraiche, wasabi paste, and celery salt. In a medium bowl, mix together crab meat, scallion, and furikake. Fold in wasabi mayonnaise; season with white pepper.
3. Toast bread: Dunk each roll in butter and grill or toast until golden brown.
4. To serve, fIll each roll with crab salad. Garnish with micro-cilantro.

Active time: 40m
Total time: 40m
Yields: 8 servings