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Tasting Notes
Brandade is a classic French dish, traditionally made with potatoes and salt cod. Here, Michael gives it a luxurious twist by swapping out salt cod for Dungeness crab.
The delicately sweet flavor of crab complements the creamy potatoes. This recipe is wildly rich, but the portion size of the finished brandade is small enough to savor without weighing down the rest of the dish. Don’t skimp on the cream and butter here – they’re necessary for the decadently creamy texture of the potatoes.
Tips & Techniques
Potato pointers. The best way to boil potatoes is to start them in a pot of cold water and gently bring them up to a simmer. They aren’t ready for the ricer until a cake tester can be inserted into the center without any resistance. Undercooked potatoes will ruin the texture of the dish, so err on the side of tenderness here.
- Don’t stick a fork in it. Try not to stab your potatoes with a knife or fork. If you do, every time you check for doneness water will be absorbed through the holes and the potatoes will become soggy.
- Heat the cream. Adding cold cream to warm potatoes will result in lumpiness, so gently warm the cream before you mix the potatoes in.
Crab brandade is a great surf and turf side dish. Pair it with one of the mouth-watering steaks from our class, Cooking Perfect Steaks, Every Time.
Toolbox
These tools are the ones we find especially helpful when making this dish.
- Potato ricer. To avoid overworked potatoes, pass cooked potatoes through an old-fashioned potato ricer. You can either add the finely shredded potatoes into a bowl and mix with butter – or you can rice the potatoes along with chunks of cold butter, allowing the potatoes and butter to mix together easily. Lastly, don’t forget to incorporate the potatoes and butter into the pot of warmed cream.
The list below includes all the equipment you’ll want to make this dish.
Large pot
Slotted spoon
Small knife
Strainer over bowl or in sink
Gloves
Potato ricer
Medium bowl
Rubber spatula
Wax paper
Serves: 4
Total time: 45 minutes
Active time: 20 minutes
- Place potatoes in a medium saucepan and cover with water by 3 inches. Generously season the water with salt.
- Bring to a simmer and simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 20-30 minutes depending on the size of the potatoes. Test them by inserting a cake tester or paring knife into the center of the potatoes. It should meet no resistance.
- Drain potatoes and let cool slightly. Peel the cooked potatoes using a pairing knife.
- Add cream to the empty pot and set over low heat to warm the cream gently.
- Transfer potatoes to a food mill or ricer and squeeze them through into a bowl.
- Add butter to potatoes and stir mixture together using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon. When smooth, season with salt and pepper. Transfer buttered potatoes to warm cream mixture in pot.
- Add crab meat to the side of the pot of warmed cream and potatoes to warm the meat gently for 1 minute. Next, fold the crabmeat into the potato mixture. Season with additional salt and pepper if needed. Remove from heat and cover with a piece of wax paper until ready to serve.
Here is a great way to turn this dish into a meal
Toasted crab brandade sandwich & salad
Got leftovers? This crab brandade is the perfect sandwich filler. Cut a baguette in slices on a bias and brush with olive oil. Toast and top with roasted tomatoes and the crab brandade. Place under the broiler for 2-3 minutes and serve with a light green salad.