Crab Pho
As I type, there is a brisk wind blowing outside, rattling my kitchen windows, and I can see grey clouds building up on the horizon. The forecast for this week has snow written all over it and as much as I am looking forward to the first real snow of the season, I am not at all interested in the cold…brrrrr…. (nor shoveling). Alas, the inevitable winter weather.
I do find immense joy in winter weather recipe play…it is almost as if once the flutter of frozen flakes begin to fall I plop myself directly in front of my stove and begin making hearty ‘stick to your ribs’ meals. Super winter warmer food-ready to greet anyone coming in from the cold or heading out into it. This is one of many recipes that I break out during this time of year, a super duper winter warmer that is fragrant, delicious, unique and popular.
You’ve probably heard or have had Vietnamese Pho, a brothy rice noodle filled soup topped with any number of proteins, fresh herbs and sauce combinations-it is delicious. I’ve been hounding my favorite local Vietnamese restaurant for their broth recipe for years. While they’ve held the seafood pho broth recipe very close to the chest, the chef did allow me to watch her make it. From my notes I’ve recreated (as best as possible) her broth in this crab pho recipe.
The secret to excellent crab pho broth relies in two things; 1. Charred onions and 2. Toasting the spices before adding them into the broth.
You can char the onions by drizzling the peeled chopped chunks with a little bit of vegetable oil and placing them under the broiler for 4-5 minutes (tossing around a bit to get them charred evenly). You want a bit of char, not full coverage burnt.
To toast the spices, place the cinnamon stick, coriander seeds, star anise and cloves in a small non-stick skillet over medium heat. Stir them around a little bit while toasting (about 2-3 minutes) to keep them from burning, you’ll know you’ve hit the jack pot when you really start smelling the spices.
Crab Pho
Ingredients
Broth:
- 1 quart seafood broth
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2 teaspoons whole coriander seeds
- 2 star anise
- 3 whole cloves
- 2 tablespoons fresh ginger peeled and chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh garlic peeled
- 1 yellow onion peeled, chopped and charred
- 2 teaspoons brown sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt or season to taste
Filling:
- 3 cups thin rice noodles cooked
- 1/4 cup yellow onion peeled and thinly sliced
- 4 tablespoons scallions chopped
- 1 lb. Cameron’s Seafood Jumbo Lump Crab Meat or Alaskan King Crab Leg Meat
- fresh cilantro
- fresh basil leaves
- bean sprouts
- red chili peppers sliced
- lime wedges
- hoisin sauce
- sriracha
Instructions
- Combine broth ingredients in a large pot and bring to a simmer over medium high heat. Stir, cover, reduce heat to low and cook for 30 minutes.
- Drain broth using a fine mesh strainer and keep warm until ready to assemble.
- Evenly distribute cooked noodles, thinly sliced onion, scallions and jumbo lump crab meat to individual bowls and pour over broth.
- Serve soup with toppings, allowing folks to add their own custom mix, and enjoy.
Buy Maryland Blue Crab Online
You can buy our Lump Maryland Crab Meat (as well as many other delicious seafood products) from our online store. All of Cameron’s Maryland Crab Meat comes straight from the Chesapeake Bay to your door with guaranteed freshness. The best crab meat in the world comes from Chesapeake Bay Blue Crabs!
Show us how you beat the cold with your Cameron’s Seafood winter warmer recipes. Whether you make this delicious recipe or have one of your own that you would like to share-we’d love to hear from you. Post your own Cameron’s Seafood dish on Instagram and tag us @cameronsseafoodonline. We’re also on Facebook and Twitter, we look forward seeing your creations.
By: Patterson Watkins
