INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

Here we have a party dish that will bring out "oohs" and "ahs" from
your guests on sight - and a repeat performance on taste.  Crab claws,
alone, are sometimes available in fish stores.  If they  aren't, boil
several hard shell crabs and use the claws; you can use  the bodies in
many other dishes.  The crab claws in fish stores are already partially
peeled and serve  not only as a handle but are edible as well.  If you
prepare your own  claws, peel the upper section around which you mold
the shrimp paste.  Boil the crab legs or crabs for about 10 minutes,
then drain and cool;  remove the claws from the crabs, if using, and
reserve the bodies for  another purpose.  Have the shrimp paste ready;
preheat the oven to 350F.  Pour the oil into a bowl.  Dip your fingers
into the oil and pick up 2  tablespoons of the shrimp paste.  Mold it
into an oval around and  halfway down the crab claw, covering the part
of the claw where it  was attached to the body; this will leave a claw
tip extended to  serve as a handle. Place the claws on a baking sheet
and bake in the  preheated oven for 30 minutes.  Serve with Nuoc Cham
and watercress.  NOTE:  In Vietnam, this dish is always barbecued over
charcoal.  If  you wish to prepare it this way, cook for 10 minutes on
each side.  Makes 10 servings.  Here we have a party dish that will
bring out "oohs" and "ahs" from  your guests on sight - and a repeat
performance on taste.  Crab claws, alone, are sometimes available in
fish stores.  If they  aren't, boil several hard shell crabs and use
the claws; you can use  the bodies in many other dishes.  The crab
claws in fish stores are already partially peeled and serve  not only
as a handle but are edible as well.  If you prepare your own  claws,
peel the upper section around which you mold the shrimp paste.  NUOC
CHAM:  This exciting sauce is almost always served at Vietnamese meals,
just  a Westerners serve salt and pepper.  It's base is nuoc mam
(bottled  fish sauce).  Freshly prepared, it is a constant delight, and
so  addictive to Western palettes that it will appear with meals other
than Vietnamese. To best appreciate the results of its superb  blending
qualities at the table, use it sparingly at first, gradually  adding
more until the result is just right for your palate.  Peel the garlic.
Split the chili pepper down the center and remove  the seeds and
membrane.  Cut into pieces and put into a mortar,  together with the
garlic and sugar.  Pound into a paste.  Squeeze the  lime juice into
the paste, then with a small knife remove the pulp  from the lime
section and add it as well.  Mash this mixture and add  the fish sauce
and water.  NOTE:  If you find this a trifle strong at first, dilute it
with an  additional 1/2 tablespoon of water.  From "The Classic Cuisine
of Vietnam", Bach Ngo and Gloria Zimmerman,  Barron's, 1979.  Posted by
Stephen Ceideberg; May 24 1993.  File
ftp://ftp.idiscover.co.uk/pub/food/mealmaster/recipes/cberg2.zip

A Message from our Provider:

“God will let you get away with it until suddenly . . .”

Nutrition (calculated from recipe ingredients)
----------------------------------------------
Calories: 50
Calories From Fat: 48
Total Fat: 5.5g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Sodium: <1mg
Potassium: 12.1mg
Carbohydrates: <1g
Fiber: <1g
Sugar: <1g
Protein: <1g