Stone Crab Sunday Suppers

By raymond bloom

If you were fortunate enough to receive a Sunday supper invitation from Santa Barbara locals, Bill and Cookie hurney, there’s a good chance the menu will include local stone (rock) crab… straight from the commercial fishing docks in the Santa Barbara harbor. “We used to have them shipped in from the east coast for special occasions until we discovered the local fisherman’s market”, says Bill. It’s one of our favorites when entertaining because the prep is so easy and the flavors are fantastic…straight out of the ocean, really sweet and fresh. If anything is left over, we usually chop it up and make crab cakes for the next day.”

The hurney’s have established a tradition among friends for their Sunday suppers, which are most times spur of the moment pot-luck affairs, but occasionally evolve into major events; big enough to inspire the hurney’s to hire contactor and friend Jim Stilwell for a major kitchen remodel a few years back. The usual routine starts in the early afternoon with an assortment of fresh citrus cocktails on the patio. “Nothing like a fresh Salty dog on a mellow afternoon with friends,” says Bill. on this day the menu included Salty dogs, Santa maria Tri-Tip Steak from Shalhoob meats, Jack hurney’s (Bill’s brother) famous four-pepper salsa, farmer’s market sweet corn, roasted mustardy beet salad, garden salad, local wines, french bread and stone crab. for the crab, Cookie featured two of her favorite aioli for dipping. The first is a tradition mayonnaise based sauce and the second is a spicy version featuring jalapeño peppers. “one of my favorite pastimes is to shop at the Saturday farmer’s market, load up on everything fresh and invite a bunch of our friends over to enjoy it,” says Cookie. “We’re always trying something new and it’s always a great way to relax at the end of the week.”

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COOkIe’S CRAB AIOLI

1-Cup mayonnaise

3 Tablespoons of Coleman’s dry mustard

2 teaspoons Worcestershire Sauce

1 teaspoon A-1 Steak Sauce

1/8 cup of half and half Salt to taste

Whip mayonnaise and dry mustard for two minutes. Add Worcestershire and A-1 sauce, mix thoroughly then add half and half and salt. Continue to mix until well blended. Chill overnight for best results.

SPICY VeRSION

Prepare Crab Aioli as above, adding ½ of a medium sized finely chopped jalapeno with the salt and cream.

GARDeN SALAD DReSSING

This is an easy one. Prepare one package of Good Seasons Italian dressing mix adding two tablespoons of dijon or spicy mustard. Use olive oil instead of vegetable oil.

STeAMING THe CRABS

Rinse crabs under cool running water. Using a very large pot with steamer, bring about 2 to 3 inches of water to boil. Slowly place crabs in pot and let steam for 15-20 minutes.

Rinse and allow cooling on ice. Before serving, the crabs must be cracked. This is best accomplished by placing a kitchen towel over the crab and pounding them on a large wooden cutting board. Your wife will appreciate this being done outside!

MuSTARDY BeeT SALAD

Serves 2-4

4 beets, cooked (see above) dressing:

1 stalk celery, small dice and reserve leaves for garnish

1 green onion, trimmed and sliced into thin coins

½ small garlic clove, minced

2 teaspoons dijon mustard

2 teaspoons golden or white balsamic vinegar

3 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt and twist of pepper to taste mix dressing in small bowl. Slice beets into ½” thick circles, place on plates or platter and then drizzle dressing over the top. Garnish with a sprinkle of celery leaves. Serve warm or at room temperature.

To Roast: Preheat your oven to 350. In a pie plate place the cleaned beets, a few cloves of garlic and a sprig of thyme. drizzle with olive oil or a splash of water and then roast covered with foil for one hour.

—Recipe borrowed from food blogger, Valerie Rice www.eat-drink-garden.com

JACk’S FAMOuS FOuR-PePPeR SALSA

1 Jalapeno pepper

1 Lipstick (red) Bell Pepper

1 Anaheim Chile Pepper

1 habanero Pepper

1 medium Red onion, chopped

4 medium heirloom Tomatoes, chopped

½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped

2 tablespoons white vinegar

1-tablespoon olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Prep: In a large bowl, mix all ingredients together with a spoon. Transfer mixture to a blender/food processer and pulse until mixture is smooth. Spoon over medium rare cooked steak or pork loin. Great for adding texture to guacamole, too.