Max’s Dressed Crab
Max Rocha, is here to teach us one of his favourite dishes, inspired by his mum and his childhood in Ireland.
You can watch Max and his mum, Odette, make this delicious dish in our film but for your own cooking and eating pleasure, Max has given us the secret recipe.
Crack on!
Ingredients:
1 Whole live crab
1/2 a Bunch flat leaf parsley
1/2 Red chilli
Half bunch of Dill
Tbs of Dijon Mustard
1 Lemon
Salt & Pepper
3 Egg yolks
200ml Sunflower oil
50ml of Extra virgin olive oil
A teaspoon of water
Salted Butter
TO COOK & PICK THE CRAB
1. Fill a large pan with salted water. 25g of salt per litre of water.
2. Place the live crab in the boiling water for 8-10 minutes, depending on the size but this is based on a 1.2kg crab.
3. Remove the crab from the water and place in a bowl with a few ice cubes over the crab and allow to cool.
4. When the crab is cooled, remove the claws and the legs.
5. Then place your fingers in the gap between the body and the head and push upwards to separate it. It may take a little push.
6. Discard the gills attached to the head as these are inedible.
7. Using a spoon, scrape out the brown meat of the head and set it aside to be dressed. Leave in a cool fridge until it is ready to be dressed.
8. Using a spoon take out the white meat from the main body.
9. With the back of a knife, crack the body claws and legs and then use a lobster pick to pick the white meat out. Place all the white meat on a tray and pick through it with gloves to find any remaining pieces of shell left in the mix and set aside in a bowl in the fridge.
MAYONNAISE & DRESSING THE CRAB
1. Place egg yolks, lemon juice & mustard into a bowl and whisk together with a pinch of salt and pepper. (I always keep some water beside it in case the mayonnaise looks like it's going to split.
2. Whisk the oils in slowly at the beginning and when you feel the eggs are coming together begin to whisk a little quicker until all the oil is incorporated. Taste for seasoning, it may need a squeeze more of lemon or a little more salt.
3. Dress the white meat with a tbs of olive oil, add half of the chilli diced, roughly chopped parsley, lemon juice and chopped dill.
4. Mix two tablespoons of the mayonnaise with the brown meat and season to taste.
ASSEMBLING
1. Toast brown bread (preferably Guinness soda bread) and butter the bread.
2. Then spread some brown crab meat on the bread and sprinkle the white meat on top.
3. This is a lovely starter for a special occasion or a canape for a party.
4. Make sure to keep the crab bones, as you can make fish stock with them.
Take a photograph of your finished dish and upload to your workbook to share with us and earn 5 points!
