Granzievola alla Triestina

Name: Granzievola alla Triestina
Prep time: 35 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Friulana
Ingredients: 2 large whole fresh spider crabs (granzievole); 60 g fine dry breadcrumbs; 60 ml Extra virgin olive oil; 2 cloves Garlic; 20 g fresh flat-leaf parsley; 30 ml Lemon juice; 30 g coarse sea salt; 3 g Fine sea salt; 1 pinch freshly ground black pepper

Granzievola alla Triestina is spider crab meat dressed with garlic, parsley, lemon and breadcrumbs, baked in its own shell. In Triestine dialect, spider crab is called granzievola.

🇮🇹Italy· Friuli Venezia Giulia

Prep: 35 min
Cook: 25 min
Total: 60 min
Servings: 4
Difficulty: Medium
Calories: 280 kcal

Ingredients

0 of 9 gathered

Servings

2 large whole fresh spider crabs (granzievole) — around 800 g each, live or very fresh
60 g fine dry breadcrumbs — unseasoned
60 ml Extra virgin olive oil — robust Adriatic or Istrian style
2 cloves Garlic — very finely minced
20 g fresh flat-leaf parsley — finely chopped
30 ml Lemon juice — freshly squeezed
30 g coarse sea salt — for boiling water
3 g Fine sea salt — to season meat
1 pinch freshly ground black pepper — to taste

Equipment

•Large stockpot
•Baking sheet
•Nutcracker or kitchen shears
•Mixing bowl
•Slotted spoon

Nutrition

Per serving, approximate

Calories: 280 kcal
fat: 14 g
carbs: 12 g
fibre: 1 g
protein: 26 g
calories: 280 kcal

Instructions

1
Bring a large stockpot of well-salted water to a rapid rolling boil over high heat.
2
Submerge the spider crabs upside down in boiling water and cook gently for fifteen minutes.
3
Lift out the crabs with a slotted spoon and let them cool until comfortable to handle.
4
Pry the top shells off the crabs, scrub the empty shells clean, dry thoroughly, and set aside.
5
Discard the feathery grey gills and stomach sac from inside the central body.
6
Pick all white meat from the body cavity, legs, and claws using kitchen shears and a pick.
7
Transfer the picked crab meat into a mixing bowl, checking carefully to remove any remaining shell fragments.
8
Add the minced garlic, chopped parsley, lemon juice, salt, black pepper, half the breadcrumbs, and most of the olive oil.
9
Toss gently with a spoon until the crab meat is well seasoned and evenly coated.
10
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C on the grill or gratin setting.
11
Spoon the seasoned crab meat back into the cleaned top shells and set them on a baking sheet.
12
Scatter remaining breadcrumbs over the top, drizzle with the remaining olive oil, and bake for eight minutes until golden.

Chef's tips

Take your time picking the crab meat to ensure no sharp bits of cartilage remain. Do not over-bake the crab, as spider crab meat dries out quickly once stripped of moisture.

Ingredient substitutions

whole fresh spider crabs (granzievole) → brown crab (Cancer pagurus) or Dungeness crab, baked in the cleaned shell
fine dry breadcrumbs → gluten-free breadcrumbs if cooking for a gluten-sensitive diet

Storage

Keep any leftover gratinated crab meat in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 24 hours.

Reheating

Reheat gently in a preheated oven at 160 degrees C for six minutes until just warmed through.

Common mistakes to avoid

•Leaving grey gills attached, which gives the picked meat a bitter off-flavour.
•Browning under the grill for too long, which scorches the breadcrumbs and ruins the sweet crab flavour.
•Skipping the shell scrubbing, which can introduce sand into the final gratin.