Cooking In:Succulent white meat and flavoursome brown - these are top crustaceans.
Crab has the sweetest of flesh, plenty of flavour and, for those who find lobster a little rich, subtly and texture. It's a balance unequalled among shellfish. Plus you get the variety of both white and dark meat. Those who shout for white only are welcome to it. Just don't take mine. I want both.
If you are short of time but not of pocket, save the picking for another day and buy dressed crabs. The work has been done for you, both meats neatly arranged so you can combine them or keep them separate.
Make sure what you are buying has not been frozen, as all the sweetness seems to disappear with the extreme cold. And beware of vacuum-packed, pasturised white crab meat. Heat processing is no way to treat this delightful food.
Cracked crab is often served with mayonnaise, but the meat can be tossed with chilli, garlic, lots of parsley and spaghetti. Crab served in a quiche may seem retro, but it's a delight. Worked into fishcakes, crab provides sweetness. For a light and summery starter, toss it lightly with basil, vinaigrette, a selection of lettuce leaves and some cucumber.
If you are cooking your crab, allow about 15 minutes for a medium-sized crab in well-salted boiling water, then remove and allow it to cool.
If you don't want to whisk up a bowl of mayonnaise, and are disappointed by a jar of you-know-who's, take a few spoonfuls of a ready-made mayonnaise and whisk in four or five tablespoons of a rich, full-flavoured olive oil and half a teaspoon of Dijon mustard. The result will be packed with flavour and attitude.
Recipes serve four
CRAB SALAD WITH SALTED CUCUMBER AND RADISH
½ cucumber
4 cardamom pods
2 dressed crabs
4 handfuls salad leaves
olive oil
bunch radishes, washed and trimmed
2½ lemons
Trim the end from the cucumber and halve it lengthways. Slice it thinly and place in a sieve with a dessertspoon of salt. Toss so the cucumber is well coated, then leave aside for 10 minutes. Rinse the cucumber thoroughly under cold water and set aside to drain.
Briefly toss the cardamom pods in a hot dry frying pan until their aroma is rounded rather than raw. This will take about two minutes. Crack open the cardamom pods with a sharp knife and ease out the seeds. Grind them in a pestle and mortar, or with a wooden spoon, until fine, and mix with the crab meat. I tend to mix the white and dark meat together, but keep them separate if you want and add the cardamom to the dark meat.
Combine the salad leaves with four tablespoons of olive oil, the juice of half a lemon and salt and pepper in a bowl. Toss well.
Spoon the crab meat into the centre of four plates. If you have kept the meats separate, put the brown on the bottom and the white on top.
Squeeze any excess moisture from the cucumber and make a neat pile at the side of the plate. Do the same with the radishes. Drape the salad leaves around the edge of the plate and drizzle more olive oil over the top. Check the seasoning and serve with half a lemon.
CRAB TART
1 sheet of pastry to line an 18cm tart tin
3 medium eggs
meat from 1 crab, brown and white
1 glass white wine
pinch of cayenne pepper
180ml creme fraiche
1 tsp mustard
2 tbsp grated Parmesan
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees/gas four. Bake the tart case for 30 minutes, or until it is golden. Meanwhile beat the eggs and fold in the crab meat, wine, cayenne pepper, creme fraiche, mustard and one spoon of Parmesan. Season. Pour the crab mixture into the pastry case, top with the other spoon of Parmesan and bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown on top and bubbling. Allow to cool for 15 minutes before cutting so everything sets.
CRAB CAKES
2 medium eggs, beaten
60ml creme fraiche
200ml mayonnaise (bought will do)
1 heaped tsp Dijon mustard
1kg picked crab meat
4 tbsp breadcrumbs
vegetable oil
1 lemon, quartered
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees/gas six. Whisk the eggs and fold in the creme fraiche, mayonnaise, mustard and crab meat. Season with salt and pepper.
Divide the mixture and fashion into eight cakes. Roll each one lightly in breadcrumbs and place on a baking tray. Drizzle with a little vegetable oil and bake for 10 minutes. Turn them over and bake for a further 10 minutes. If they fail to colour, turn the oven up and leave in for a further five minutes. Serve with lemon.