Baked Stuffed Crab Shells Recipe

In spite of the obvious influence of stuffing shells and baking them, the Vietnamese have artfully made this dish their own with a combination of bean thread noodles and cloud ear mushrooms. It is time-consuming to cook the crabs yourself, so use freshly cooked crab meat from your fishmonger or supermarket. You will also need four small, empty crab shells. If you haven't eaten crab recently and kept the shells, you could ask your local fishmonger or look for some in the Asian markets. Alternatively, use individual ovenproof dishes. Bean thread noodles and cloud ear mushrooms are available in Chinese and Asian markets.

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Ingredients : Serves 4
25 g 6 450 g 15 ml 10 ml 2 2 cloves 2.5 cm 1 small bunch 1 25 g 1/4 teaspoon 1/4 teaspoon	Dried bean thread (cellophane) noodles Dried cloud ear (wood ear) mushrooms Fresh crab meat Vegetable oil Nuoc cham Shallots, finely chopped Garlic, finely chopped Fresh root ginger, peeled and grated Coriander (cilantro), stalks removed, leaves chopped Egg, beaten Butter Salt Ground black pepper Finely chopped fresh dill fronds, for garnishing
Method : Preheat the oven to 180oC.250oF/Gas 4. Soak the bean thread noodles and cloud ear mushrooms separately in bowls of lukewarm water for 15 minutes. Squeeze them dry and chop them finely. In a bowl, mix together the noodles and mushrooms with the crab meat. Add the oil, nuoc mam, shallots, garlic, ginger and coriander. Season, then stir in the egg. Spoon the mixture into four small crab shells or individual ovenproof dishes, packing it in tightly, and dot the top of each one with a little butter. Place the shells on a baking tray and cook for about 20 minutes, or until the tops are nicely browned. Garnish with dill and serve with a little nuoc cham to drizzle over the top.