Grilled Crab With Z'houg And Charred Orange

Levant_Grilled Crab 01
Scott Snyder•

Portland's "French-Arabesque" restaurant Levant serves fine Middle Eastern food for the discerning hummus aficionado. Chef-owner Scott Snyder's Israeli roots combined with masterful French technique shine in a menu of bright, hearty yet refined cuisine focused on local, seasonal produce. When herbs and peppers take over your garden and you're grilling seven nights a week, break out the chef's recipe for Dungeness crab with fiery, flavorful z'houg, a popular (and powerful) condiment.

"The inspiration for this dish came from grilling crabs, oysters and other shellfish as a kid on the Puget Sound," says the chef. "I spent summers up there with my grandparents grilling all kinds of seafood. I thought our housemade z'houg would be a really natural flavor pairing for grilled crab — it's really herbaceous and reminded me of a Vietnamese-style wok-fried crab. The grilled oranges add great depth of flavor, and the acidity of citrus complements seafood so well."

A few tips from the chef:

  • The crab cooks faster than you think, so watch the heat carefully.
  • Make sure you crack the shells before tossing them with the z'houg so the sauce can get under the shells.
  • After you take the crabs off the grill, cover them with a kitchen towel and use a mallet or a heavy knife to crack open each section of the legs.

    • And enjoy!

    Grilled Crab With Z'houg And Charred Orange
    No Ratings
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    Prep Time
    45
    minutes
    Cook Time
    20
    minutes
    Servings
    4
    Levant_Grilled Crab 01
    Total time: 1 hour, 5 minutes
    Ingredients
    • 1 cup cilantro
    • 1 cup parsley
    • 3-5 Serrano chilis
    • 5 cloves garlic
    • 1 teaspoon cumin
    • 1/2 teaspoon caraway
    • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
    • 1/2-3/4 cup olive oil
    • salt to taste
    • 2-4 fresh whole Dungeness crabs
    • 1 cup Z'houg
    • 1-2 cara cara oranges
    • olive oil
    • sea salt
    Directions
    1. :::z'houg:::
    2. Put all other ingredients in a food processor and pulse to a coarse state.
    3. Add half the oil and pulse to form a coarse paste.
    4. Transfer to a storage container and stir in the remaining oil.
    5. :::crab:::
    6. Build a hot coal bed in your grill.
    7. Halve the crabs, then segment each half into thirds. Toss crab in oil and season with salt.
    8. Grill 4-6" above coals, turning frequently, for about 8-12 minutes. Grill orange halves till lightly charred.
    9. Crack crab shells with a cracker or the back of a sturdy blade, toss in a bowl with z'houg and serve with charred orange halves.
     
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