Casquinha de Siri

Ingredients

• 400 g crab meat, picked over for fragments of shell
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 3 garlic, finely chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, finely diced
• 2 tomato, seeded and finely chopped
• 1 fresh chilli, seeded and finely chopped
• 1½ dl coconut milk
• 2 tbsp dende oil
• 2 tbsp lime juice
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp black pepper
• 3 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
• 60 g breadcrumbs
• 30 g Parmesan, finely grated
• 30 g butter, melted

Method

1. 1.

   Sweat the onion and pepper — Heat the oven to 200°C. Warm the olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat and cook the onion and green pepper until soft and sweet, about 7 minutes, then add the garlic and chilli and fry for one minute more.

2. 2.

   Cook the tomato down dry — Stir in the chopped tomato and let it cook down for 8 minutes, until it collapses completely and the pan looks jammy rather than watery — any loose liquid now will make the gratin soggy later.

3. 3.

   Fold in the crab — Fold in the crab meat, coconut milk and dende oil and cook for 3 minutes, just long enough to warm the crab and bind the sauce. Take the pan off the heat and season with the lime juice, salt, black pepper and cilantro.

4. 4.

   Fill the little dishes — Divide the mixture between four small ovenproof dishes or scallop shells, pressing it in lightly so the surface is level and sits a little below the rim.

5. 5.

   Top with buttered crumbs — Toss the breadcrumbs with the melted butter and Parmesan until every crumb is evenly damp, then scatter the mixture thickly and loosely over each dish — packed crumbs steam instead of crisping.

6. 6.

   Bake until the crust crackles — Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until the crust is deep gold all over and the filling bubbles up around the edges of each dish.

7. 7.

   Let them settle before serving — Let the dishes settle for 5 minutes before serving. The filling holds a great deal of heat and needs that moment to firm up enough to hold on a fork.