Basque · Hegoalde (Spain) · appetizer

Txangurro a la Donostiarra

Txangurro a la Donostiarra reads umami 7.5, marine & briny 4.7 and richness 4.5 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Basque · Hegoalde (Spain) appetizer, about 1 hr 34 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

• Umami & Savory — 8.4 / 10
• Sweet & Fruity — 3.9 / 10
• Sour & Bright — 1.9 / 10
• Bitter & Earthy — 1.7 / 10
• Rich & Fat — 4.7 / 10
• Aromatic & Spice — 3.3 / 10

The measured notes (of 18)

Umami 7.5 · Marine & Briny 4.7 · Richness 4.5 · Salinity 4.1 · Sweetness 3.2 · Allium 2.9 · Fruity 2.4 · Herbaceous 2.0 · Sourness 1.7 · Bitterness 1.5 · Floral 0.9 · Earthy 0.8 · Warm Spice 0.7 · Heat 0.7 · Nutty 0.7 · Citrus 0.6

What's in it (14)

• crabs — 200 g
• onions — 350 g
• leek — 120 g
• garlic — 8 g
• extra virgin olive oil — 55 g
• unsalted butter — 40 g
• fish stock — 120 g
• brandy — 100 g
• txakoli — 150 g
• tomatoes — 200 g
• piment d'espelette — 4 g
• bread crumbs — 40 g
• flat-leaf parsley — 8 g
• salt — 6 g

Time & effort: about 1 hr 34 min · effort: involved

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 57.2 kcal, 3.6 g protein, 2.8 g fat, 5.7 g carbs

Dietary: Contains meat · Contains seafood · Contains dairy — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (8 steps)

1. Spider crab — centollo in Spanish, txangurro in Basque — has sweeter, looser meat than brown crab and a shell shallow enough to bake in. Buy them live and heavy for their size. Brown crab will do at a pinch but the dish is named for this one.
2. Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a rolling boil and cook the crabs for 15 minutes. Lift them out and let them cool enough to handle.
3. Pick the crabs completely: white meat from the body and legs, and every scrap of the brown meat and coral from inside the top shell. Keep the two top shells, scrub them out and dry them — they are the serving dishes. This takes about 20 minutes and is the real work of the recipe.
4. Warm the oil in a wide pan and sweat the onion and leek over low heat for 25 minutes until they are completely soft and just barely golden. Add the garlic and cook 2 minutes.
5. Pour in the brandy and let it burn off over high heat for 2 minutes — stand back if you tip the pan into the flame. Add the txakoli and reduce it by half, about 5 minutes. Add the grated tomato and cook at a steady simmer for 15 minutes, until the mixture is thick and no longer watery.
6. Stir in all the crab meat, the Espelette pepper and the fish stock and cook gently for 5 minutes, just to bring it together. It should be moist but not loose. Season with salt.
7. Heat the grill. Fill the cleaned shells, scatter the breadcrumbs over and dot with the butter. Grill 12 cm from the element for 5 minutes until the tops are brown and bubbling at the edges. Scatter the parsley and serve at once, with small forks.
8. Substitutions: dry white wine can stand in for the txakoli.

Dishes with a similar flavor shape

• Cazuela de Mariscos — Argentine
• Shrimp Étouffée — Cajun/Creole
• Arroz Negro — Spanish
• Louisiana Seafood Gumbo — Cajun/Creole
• Seafood Gumbo with Okra and Crab — Cajun/Creole · Creole

Keep reading: what umami, marine & briny, richness mean in the flavor lexicon · the world's cuisines, by flavor.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.