Chilean
Pastel de Jaiba
Sweet flakes of crab folded through a silken onion panade, baked until bubbling, and crowned with a burnished Parmesan crust.
6 servings · 30 minutes prep · 40 minutes cook
Ingredients
Bread panade
- 5 oz, Crusts removed; about 5 slices.
- 1½ cups
- ½ cup
Crab filling
- 1½ lb, Preferably Chilean king crab or Dungeness crab.
- 3 tbsp total, divided, Use 2 tablespoons in the filling and soften the remaining 1 tablespoon for the baking vessels.
- 1 tbsp
- 2 cups, Finely diced.
- 2 medium cloves, Minced.
- 1 tsp, Use Chilean ají de color when available.
- ½ tsp, Rubbed between the fingers.
- ½ cup
- 1 tsp, Diamond Crystal kosher salt, divided.
- ½ tsp, Freshly ground.
- ⅛ tsp
- 2 tbsp, Flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped.
Cheese crust
- ¾ cup, Finely grated and divided.
Directions
Prepare the crab and panade
- Heat the {{tool:oven}} to 400°F (205°C) with a rack in the upper third. Coat six 12-ounce (355 ml) ovenproof {{tool:ramekins}} or one shallow 2-quart (1.9 L) {{tool:shallow-baking-dish}} with 1 tbsp (14 g) softened unsalted butter.
- Spread the crab meat on a rimmed plate and carefully check it for shell fragments without shredding the larger pieces. Refrigerate it while preparing the base.
- Tear the soft white sandwich bread into 1-inch (2.5 cm) pieces and place it in a {{tool:large-bowl}}. Pour over the whole milk and heavy cream, pressing gently to moisten every piece. Let stand for 15 minutes, then mash with a {{tool:fork}} into a soft, slightly textured panade without squeezing out the liquid.
Build the onion base
- Melt 2 tbsp (28 g) unsalted butter with the extra virgin olive oil in a {{tool:wide-skillet}} over medium-low heat. Add the yellow onion and ½ tsp (1.5 g) kosher salt. Cook for 12–15 minutes, stirring frequently, until completely tender and translucent with only the faintest golden color.
- Add the garlic cloves, sweet paprika, dried oregano, black pepper, and cayenne pepper. Cook for 45 seconds, stirring, until fragrant.
- Add the dry white wine, raise the heat to medium, and simmer for 4–6 minutes, scraping the skillet, until reduced to about 2 tbsp (30 ml) and no raw alcoholic aroma remains.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low and stir in the soaked bread mixture. Cook for 5–7 minutes, stirring and folding constantly with a {{tool:rubber-spatula}}, until the panade is smooth, glossy, and thick enough that a trail drawn across the skillet closes slowly. Remove from the heat.
Fold and bake
- Stir ½ cup (50 g) of the parmesan cheese into the hot panade. Taste the base, add the remaining ½ tsp (1.5 g) kosher salt, and fold in the parsley.
- Let the mixture cool for 3 minutes, then fold in the chilled crab meat in three additions using broad, gentle strokes with the {{tool:rubber-spatula}}. Stop as soon as it is evenly distributed and visible pieces of crab remain; the filling should be moist and spoonable.
- Divide the filling among the prepared {{tool:ramekins}}, or spread it in the {{tool:shallow-baking-dish}}, without packing it down. Sprinkle evenly with the remaining ¼ cup (25 g) parmesan cheese.
- Bake until the edges bubble and an {{tool:instant-read-thermometer}} inserted in the center reads 160–165°F (71–74°C), allowing 12–15 minutes for ramekins or 17–20 minutes for one baking dish. Stop cooking once the center is hot to avoid tightening and drying the crab.
- Switch the {{tool:oven}} to broil. Broil about 6 inches (15 cm) below the heat for 1–3 minutes, watching continuously, until the cheese is deeply golden in scattered spots. Use {{tool:oven-mitts}} to remove the dishes and rest for 5 minutes before serving.
