Krabbenbrötchen

Krabbenbrötchen belongs to the North Sea, to the harbour kiosk, the fish market, and the windy picnic bench where lunch comes wrapped in paper. The Krabben are not crabs; on this coast the word means small brown shrimp, already cooked, peeled, and sweet from the cold water. It is best from late summer into autumn when the catch runs full, though good chilled Krabben make it a proper quick meal all year.

Every coast town has an opinion. In Büsum and East Frisia you hear butter, lemon, and leave it alone; in Hamburg stalls you see remoulade, egg, lettuce, and sometimes enough dressing to make the shrimp disappear. Im Norden anders, im Süden anders, yes, but this dish is northern in its bones. The south can eat it gladly, but it doesn't get to bury the coast under mayonnaise.

The technique is not cooking. It is restraint and order. Drain the Nordseekrabben well, pat them dry, butter the cut roll to the edges, and squeeze the lemon only at the table. Wet shrimp soak the crumb and taste flat; early lemon tightens them and pulls out brine; butter gives the bread a little wall of fat so the heap stays sweet, cold, and clean. Nicht aus dem Glas. If you need a sauce to taste the shrimp, you bought the wrong shrimp.