Recipe by Chef Mark McNamara Food Luddite
CRAB COCKTAIL
white meat from four blue swimmer crabs (*see note below)
2 spring onions – finely chopped
½ bunch chervil – finely chopped
squeeze lime juice to taste
zestof ½ lime – very finely shredded and blanched
1 recipe crab mustard mayonnaise (below)
salt and pepper
1 recipe carrot and lime pickle (below)
1 tbsp salmon roe/caviar
chervil – for garnish
METHOD
1. Mix crab with spring onions, chervil, lime juice and zest. Fold mayonnaise through gently, mixing well without breaking up too much.
2. Place pickled carrot in serving dish, spoon crab mixture over carrot and top with salmon roe and a little fresh chervil
CARROT AND LIME PICKLE
200g carrots
50ml Thai fish sauce
60g sugar
2 limes – juiced
½ clove garlic – crushed
1 tsp chopped chervil
1 tsp white vinegar
1 tbsp Prue’s Verjus
1 tbsp water
METHOD
1. Peel carrots and slice into very fine matchsticks.
2. Combine all ingredients and marinate overnight.
CRAB MUSTARD MAYONNAISE
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 tbsp crab ‘mustard’ (brown meat)
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp horseradish
pinch ground white pepper
1 tsp fish sauce
1 tsp vinegar
1 tsp lime juice
250ml sunflower oil
METHOD
1. Place all ingredients except for oil into a tall jug and stab blend thoroughly; add oil a little at a time until fully emulsified.
2. Mayonnaise should be spoonable and just hold its shape. Add cool water to correct consistency if too thick.
*NOTE:
Allow 1 blue swimmer crab per person. Pick over crab, reserving brown meat separately.