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cover and cook on low for 4 hours. Add the crab, spoon the sauce over the crab, and cook for an additional 1½ hours, turning the crab in the sauce during cooking.

serve the crab from the cooker set on warm.

serves 6–8

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garlic savvy

Why slice the garlic? The garlic in this dish will be cooking for a long time and will eventually become mellow like roasted garlic, the flavor I want, rather than the sharper flavor of minced garlic. Remember, the smaller the piece of garlic, the more intense the flavor.

crab savvy

I love to make this dish with frozen king crab legs, but it is also delicious with stone crab claws, snow crab claws, or Dungeness crab claws. Crab is usually processed on boats, meaning that it is already cooked, but the slow cooker steams it so that it doesn’t dry out or get tough.

Bouillabaisse

Bouillabaisse comes from the Mediterranean region of France. Although there are many variations on the typical bouillabaisse, according to the late Julia Child, it has two components: a fish soup base made with the region’s aromatic vegetables and herbs, and the fish. Since this is a typical fisherman’s stew, made with what’s left from the catch of the day, the fishy ingredients are left up to the cook. I’ve suggested a few that work best in the slow cooker.

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

3 leeks, cleaned and coarsely chopped, using the white and tender green parts

4 cloves garlic, sliced

1 bulb fennel, ends trimmed, coarsely chopped

Grated zest of 1 orange

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon saffron threads, crushed

Pinch of cayenne pepper

One 28- to 32-ounce can crushed tomatoes, with their juice

½ cup white wine or dry vermouth

3 cups clam juice

1 cup chicken broth

½ pound littleneck clams

½ pound mussels

3 pounds thick-fleshed fish, cut into 1-inch chunks

½ cup finely chopped fresh Italian parsley

heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the leeks, garlic, fennel, zest, thyme, saffron, and cayenne and sauté until the vegetables are softened, about 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes and wine and cook down for 10 minutes, to concentrate the flavors. Transfer the mixture to the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker.

add the clam juice and broth to the slow-cooker insert and stir to combine. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours. Remove the cover and place the clams and mussels in the sauce.

place the fish on top of the shellfish and spoon the sauce over the top of the fish. Cover and cook on high for 45 minutes, until the fish is cooked through and opaque and the clams and mussels have opened.

discard any clams and mussels that haven’t opened. Sprinkle with the parsley and serve immediately.

serves 6–8

Catalan-Style Seafood Stew

Catalonia is a region of Spain that includes the beautiful city of Barcelona. Zarzuela de marisco, a Catalonian seafood stew, is decidedly spicier than its French cousin, bouillabaisse. A red pepper–based garlic, onion, and tomato mixture called sofrito starts the stew, with the addition of spicy sausage to add a smoky note. Recipes vary, but most include clams, fish, and prawns. For the slow cooker I’ve chosen clams and fish, which enhance the rich sauce nicely. Make sure to serve lots of crusty bread to soak up the sauce, and hand out bibs to catch any drips!

½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 medium onions, finely chopped

2 medium red bell peppers, seeded and finely chopped

6 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon saffron threads, crushed

1 teaspoon hot paprika

1 cup finely chopped Spanish chorizo or sopressata salami

One 28- to 32-ounce can crushed tomatoes

2 cups clam juice

1 cup chicken broth

2 pounds firm-fleshed fish, such as halibut, monkfish, cod, or sea bass fillets, cut into 1-inch chunks

1½ pounds littleneck clams

½ cup finely chopped fresh Italian parsley

heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions, bell peppers, garlic, saffron, paprika, and chorizo and sauté until the vegetables are softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the