Crab Stuffed Prawns with Tomato Butter

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/4 cup finely minced onions
• 1/4 cup finely minced celery
• 1/4 cup finely minced green bell peppers
• 2 tablespoons finely minced red bell peppers
• 1 tablespoon finely minced shallots
• 4 teaspoons finely minced garlic, in all
• 4 teaspoons Essence, in all
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 pound lump crabmeat, picked over for shells and cartilage
• 1 egg, slightly beaten
• 1/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
• 1 tablespoon Creole mustard
• 1/4 cup bread crumbs
• 16 prawns, peeled except for the tail and butterflied
• 3/4 cup peeled, seeded, and chopped Italian plum tomatoes
• 1/2 cup shrimp stock
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoons fresh black pepper
• 1 stick unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons brunoise red peppers

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a saute pan, heat the olive oil. When the pan is smoking hot, saute the onions, celery, peppers, shallots, and 2 teaspoons of the garlic, 2 teaspoons Essence, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and the pepper. Saute for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the crabmeat and toss gently. Saute for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and cool. Turn the crabmeat mixture into a bowl and stir in the egg, cheese, mustard, and bread crumbs. Form the stuffing into 16 balls. Season each prawn with the remaining Essence. Press each ball of stuffing into the cavity of each prawn Place the prawns on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for about 10 minutes.

For the tomato butter: In a small non-reactive sauce pot, mash the tomatoes using a whisk over high heat for 1 minute. Add the garlic, shrimp stock, salt, cayenne, and black peppers and bring to a boil. Whisk the mixture constantly for 1 minute. Whisk in the butter a few cubes at a time until all the butter is incorporated.