Leek season · No. 4

Crab-stuffed leeks in ginger broth

Blanched leek layers wrapped around crab and rice, baked in a fragrant broth. At home a quick ginger-fish sauce broth stands in for the restaurant's smoked fish fumet.

1 hr 10 min · serves 4

1. You need

   • 3 large leeks with long white parts
   • 8 oz (225 g) lump crab meat, picked over
   • 1 cup cooked jasmine rice, cooled
   • 1 tbsp grated ginger
   • 2 scallions, finely sliced
   • 1 tbsp fish sauce
   • 1 egg white
   • 1 tsp lime zest
   • For the broth: 2 cups (480 ml) fish or chicken stock, 3 slices ginger, 1 tbsp fish sauce, 1 tsp sugar, 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
   • 1 small onion, thinly sliced, and 1 tbsp butter (for the onion jam)
   • Cilantro and Thai basil, to finish

   How to make it

   1. Cut the white part of each leek into 4-inch (10 cm) lengths. Make one slit down the side of each piece just to the center, and rinse. Blanch in boiling salted water for 2 minutes, then cool in ice water and gently peel off the outer layers in whole sheets. You want about 12 wide sheets.
   2. Mix the crab, rice, ginger, scallions, fish sauce, egg white and lime zest.
   3. Lay out two overlapping leek sheets, put a heaped tablespoon of filling at one end and roll it up snugly. Repeat to make 6 rolls. Lay them seam side down in a small baking dish.
   4. Heat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Simmer the stock with the ginger, fish sauce and sugar for 5 minutes, then pour it around the rolls so it comes halfway up. Cover with foil and bake 25 minutes.
   5. While they bake, cook the onion in the butter with a pinch of salt over low heat, stirring now and then, until soft and jammy, about 20 minutes.
   6. Lift the rolls into shallow bowls, stir the sesame oil into the broth and ladle it around. Top each with a little onion jam and the herbs.

Chef's home version of Mot Hai Ba's leeks stuffed with blue crab, in smoked fish broth (Dallas), in our own words, not the restaurant's recipe.