Food editor Paul Grimes credits his cooking-school teacher chef Fernand Chambrette of école de Cuisine La Varenne, in Paris, with teaching him how to waste nothing and how to coax flavor even out of scraps. But this is not just an exercise in virtuosity, since the butter carries every last drop of sweet sea essence rendered from the shells. Keep any extra in your freezer and scoop some out whenever you want to punch up a seafood dish.
Crab butter keeps, covered and chilled, 2 days or frozen in an airtight container 3 months.
Recipe information
Total Time
1 1/2 hr
Yield
Makes about 1 cup
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Preheat oven to 450°F with rack in lowest position.
Step 2
Put reserved crab solids in a 3-quart ovenproof heavy pot. Put butter on top of solids, then cover and cook in oven 1 hour.
Step 3
Remove pot from oven and add enough cold water to reach 1/4 inch below rim of pot. Let stand, uncovered, about 10 minutes to allow melted butter to rise to surface of water.
Step 4
Skim melted butter with a large spoon or ladle into a 1-quart saucepan, then boil until butter stops crackling (when all water has been boiled out) and turns clear, about 15 minutes. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a small bowl. Stir in paprika.
