Kani Miso (Crab Tomalley) With Scorched Rice
Crab season is at its height here on Long Island, and the kids and I caught quite a few blue claws at the local docks. While I often love them plain with just a little butter and lemon, I wanted to do something special with these super fresh crabs. Kani miso, also known as crab tomalley, crab brains, or crab guts is the hepatopancreas of the animal, and is often thrown away in western cuisine. If you’ve ever opened up an intact streamed or boiled crab/lobster, the yellowish green paste is the much coveted kani miso.
Being someone who absolutely loves the slightly sweet, creamy, with a touch of bitterness that enhances the flavor of the ocean it brings, I couldn’t waste it while picking out the meat.
Kani miso, which is popular in Japan, is traditionally grilled in the shell, with a little sake and some scallions to bring out the full flavor. Here, I didn’t grill it because I threw away the shells before realizing what I wanted to do with them, and served it with scorched crispy rice. I also put some of the crab salad I made with the meat over it (but it’s really unnecessary.) Instead of scallions, I used minced shiso, but I’m sure scallions would have been amazing too.
Ingredients
- Tomalley/roe of half a dozen crabs, about half a cup
- 2 tablespoons sake
- 1 cup cooked white rice
- 1 tablespoon butter or cooking oil
- Minced scallions or shiso
- Wedge of lemon
- On a pan over medium high heat, melt butter or cooking oil and spread cooked white rice in a thin sheet. Cook until scorched and crispy on one side. Remove and place into the serving bowl.
- Blend tomalley/roe in a food processor until smooth and place into a saucepan. Heat until bubbling and add 2 tablespoons sake. Remove from heat and pour over scorched rice.
- Garnish with minced herb of your choosing and serve with a wedge of lemon.