Crabs, Corn, Butter: This 3-Ingredient Feast Is a Summer Weekend Showstopper
For a standing ovation, flavor the melted butter with a simple herb infusion IN A PINCH If you’re unsure how long to steam crabs, crack a large shell before draining the pot: If the flesh is opaque, it’s done cooking. Photo: Emma Fishman for The Wall Street Journal, Food Styling by Pearl Jones, Prop Styling by Stephanie De Luca By Kitty Greenwald July 26, 2023 4:21 pm ET Illustration: Michael Hoeweler THE CHEF: Reneé Touponce Her Restaurants: Port of Call and Oyster Club, both in Mystic, Conn. What She’s Known For: Inventive dishes that celebrate the local seafood and family farms of coastal Connecticut. Leading the kitchens at two buzzy restaurants in a burgeoning New England food town.
IN A PINCH If you’re unsure how long to steam crabs, crack a large shell before draining the pot: If the flesh is opaque, it’s done cooking.
Photo: Emma Fishman for The Wall Street Journal, Food Styling by Pearl Jones, Prop Styling by Stephanie De Luca
Illustration: Michael Hoeweler
THE CHEF: Reneé Touponce
Her Restaurants: Port of Call and Oyster Club, both in Mystic, Conn.
What She’s Known For: Inventive dishes that celebrate the local seafood and family farms of coastal Connecticut. Leading the kitchens at two buzzy restaurants in a burgeoning New England food town.
“IN JULY everyone around here goes crabbing,” said Reneé Touponce. “I go between two and four in the morning with a net and kayak, or just buckets if the tide is low. Then we camp out and cook the crabs after some sleep.” Ms. Touponce’s final Slow Food Fast recipe celebrates this summer ritual and messy outdoor eating in all its splendor. “We put out a bunch of newspapers and eat the steamed crabs with grilled corn and melted butter,” she explained.
Given its simplicity, the meal’s success truly comes down to the quality of the ingredients. Make the effort to seek out fresh blue crabs—which are “best cooked soon after they’ve been caught,” said Touponce. Beyond that, don’t fuss. On a fiery grill, unshucked ears of corn steam and sweeten from the inside out and grow seductively perfumed with smoke. Ever the chef, Touponce ensures her melted butter is a bit extra: Infused with garlic, shallot, herbs and red chiles, it amps up the flavor but asks little of the cook. Should you like, a squirt of lemon also complements the spread. Extra napkins are mandatory.
—Kitty Greenwald is a chef, food writer and the co-author of ‘Slow Fires’ (Clarkson Potter)
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