Cream of Crab Soup

It is best to accumulate some favorite crab recipes while in the Bay.  This one is at the top of our list and was easy to find on the Old Bay Seasoning website.

Ingredients:

•          ½ stick butter
•          1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
•          1 Tablespoon Old Bay Seasoning
•          ½ teaspoon parsley flakes
•          1/3 cup flour
•          4 cups milk (I used 3 cups milk and 1 cup ½ and ½)
•          1 pound crab meat (I used back fin, some use jumbo lump)
•          3 Tablespoons sherry or cooking wine

Melt butter on medium heat, add onion and cook until the onion is translucent.  Add flour, Old Bay Seasoning and parsley.  Whisk until blended.  Whisking constantly, add milk.  Bring just to a boil.  When it comes to a boil, add the crab meat.  Reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes.  Add sherry, if desired, and heat another 1 to 2 minutes.

Jerk Chicken

We love Jerk Chicken, but sometimes we make it too hot for our guests. You may want to tone down the habaneros depending upon your tastes. When cruising, I often separate the two halves of the chicken, put them in the marinade and freeze at least one of them for later use.

Ingredients
· 1/2 cup malt vinegar (or white vinegar)
· 2 Tbsp dark rum
· 2 Scotch bonnet peppers (or habaneros), with seeds
· 1 red onion, chopped
· 4 green onion tops, chopped
· 1 Tbsp dried thyme or 2 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves
· 2 Tbsp olive oil
· 2 teaspoons salt
· 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
· 4 teaspoons ground allspice
· 4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
· 4 teaspoons ground nutmeg
· 4 teaspoons ground ginger
· 2 teaspoons molasses
· 1 (5 or 6 pound) roasting chicken, cut in half, lengthwise
· 1/2 cup lime juice
· Salt and pepper

Safety note. Scotch Bonnet and Habanero chile peppers are very hot and can cause extreme pain if they come in contact with your eyes. We strongly recommend wearing protective gloves while handling the chilies and the jerk paste.

Method

1. Put vinegar, rum, hot peppers, onion, green onion tops, thyme, olive oil, salt, pepper, allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and molasses into a blender or food processor. Pulse until mostly smooth.

2. Place chicken in a large freezer bag, or in a large roasting pan or baking dish. Pour lime juice over the chicken and coat well. Add the jerk paste to the chicken pieces and coat well. Seal the bag or cover the chicken in the pan with plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight.

3. When you are ready to cook the chicken, remove chicken from the marinade bag or pan. Put the remaining marinade into a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Set aside to use as a basting sauce for the chicken. If you want you can reserve a little of the marinade (once boiled for 10 minutes since it has been in contact with raw chicken) to serve with the chicken or to mix with some ketchup and a dash of soy sauce for a serving sauce.

4. Cook…

Grilling Method
Preheat grill to medium high. Sprinkle chicken halves with salt and pepper. Place chicken halves, skin side down on the grill grates. Cover. Cook for approximately one hour, keeping the internal grill temperature between 350°F and 400°F, turning the chickens occasionally and basting with marinade, until the chicken halves are cooked through. The chicken is done when the juices run clear (not pink) when a knife tip is inserted into both the chicken breast and thigh, about 165-170°F for the breast and 180-185°F for the thigh. Transfer chicken to platter. Tent loosely with foil to keep warm and let stand 15 minutes.

Oven Method
Preheat oven to 350°F. Place chicken halves in a rimmed baking pan, skin side up. Roast until chicken halves are cooked through, about 50-60 minutes. The chicken is done when the juices run clear (not pink) when a knife tip is inserted into both the chicken breast and thigh, about 165-170°F for the breast and 180-185°F for the thigh. Transfer chicken to platter. Tent loosely with foil to keep warm and let stand 15 minutes.

5. Cut chicken into pieces. Serve with black beans and rice (or peas and rice Bahamian style!!).

Serves 6 to 8.