Here is a simple recipe for crab cocktail. It can be made with any crab (Chesapeake Bay blue crab, Dungeness, snow crab etc.), but the meat must be fresh, not frozen. The non-pasteurized cans available in some fish stores are the best option.
The salad looks great in diner-style ice-cream cups. As chef Fred Morin at Montreal's Joe Beef says: "It should look like a nice dish from a housekeeping magazine from the fifties, minus the lack of anything aspic."
Servings: 4
Ingredients
½ cup mayonnaise
½ cup regular chili sauce
1 tablespoon brandy
1 bunch chives, chopped
1 pound lump crabmeat
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 lemon, cut into 4 wedges
8 anchovies
2 hard-boiled eggs
4 13/15-size cocktail shrimp, peeled and cooked
Fresh horseradish (optional)
4 small celery branches (optional)
Method
Mix mayonnaise, chili sauce, brandy and chives. Stir in crabmeat. Season with salt and pepper.
Divide mixture into serving dishes. Surround each portion with 1 shrimp, 1 celery stalk, 2 anchovies, 1 half egg and 1 lemon wedge. Top with a bit of grated horseradish, extra chives and freshly ground pepper.