Spicy Crab Dipping Sauce
Thai Peppers w/ Fish Sauce, Lime & Fresh Herbs
Makes: 2 cups | Prep Time: 15 mins
Make spicy crab dipping sauce with an abundance of flavors that meld beautifully to enhance sweet dungeness crab and other flavors of the sea. Chock full of healthful herbs like garlic, cilantro, scallions, lemongrass, ginger, and mint. It's so easy with the help of a blender. If you don't have a blender, chop everything finely on a cutting board, then combine. This works great, and it's actually preferred if you've got the time. But who does? When we say one bunch of scallions and one bunch of cilantro, we eyeball the stem end of the scallion bunch to be about 1.25 inch in diameter and cilantro to be about 1 inch.
Great for dipping crab, spotted prawns, dressing oysters, steamed mussels, steamed or fried fish and other seafood.
- Rinse all herbs well before using. Cut scallions and cilantro into 4" segments just to better fit into food processor. Pinch off just the leaves of mint for use, discarding stalks. Pre-chopped lemongrass can be found at most Asian markets in the frozen section. Skin ginger root by scraping it with the edge of a spoon in the sink under running water and cut into 1/4" slices. Separate and deshell garlic cloves, then crush each clove with the broad side of a cleaver.
- Combine peppers, garlic, ginger, lemongrass and liquids into blender. Pulse until fine.
- Then add herbs. Pulse again briefly just to chop herbs. Don't over-blend or your sauce will be get too much air worked into it and become foamy—not what we want. (If you don't have a blender, chop everything finely on a cutting board, then combine. This works great, just more manual labor.) Taste for balance and adjust if desired.
- This hot sauce may be served fresh immediately or chilled overnight to allow its flavors to meld. Serve with crab, spotted prawns, oysters, fish or other seafood. Enjoy!
STORAGE TIP: Any remaining hot sauce keeps well refrigerated in an airtight non-reactive container, like a hermetic glass jar. Keeps refrigerated for up to a month. To avoid contamination, it is good common practice to use a clean spoon to retrieve stored dipping sauce for subsequent use.
