Ingredients
- For the court bouillon:
- 200g dillisk seaweed (fresh or dried)
- 1 bunch thyme
- 4/5 sticks of celery
- 3 large carrots, chopped
- 1 bunch of lovage
- 3 whole lemons, quartered
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 tsp white pepper
- 1 large white onion, chopped
- 40ml cider vinegar
- 2 bottles of ale, total 1 ltr (I like to use Galway Hooker)
- 2 tbsp salt
- For the crab:
- 2 whole fresh crab (uncooked)
- 3 tbsp mayonnaise
- 2 tbsp crème fraîche
- 1 tsp hot sauce
- 2 tbsp madras curry powder (I like the Green Saffron one)
- 1 whole lemon, juiced
- 1 tbsp sweet mango chutney
First, make the court bouillon, or poaching liquid for the crab. Place all of the court bouillon ingredients in the largest pot you have and top up with cold water. With the lid off, bring to a gentle simmer for around 30 minutes. Strain the liquid into a new pot (you can compost the solids).
Now you have an amazing poaching liquid for prawns, crabs, lobsters and large fish such as salmon or trout. With the warm days coming up and lobster season approaching, you might want to keep some on hand in the freezer.
To cook the crab, bring the court bouillon to the boil. Lower in the crab and simmer for 12 minutes per kilo, then leave to cool in the pot until it is cold.
Place the coronation mayonnaise ingredients in a bowl and mix together. Serve with the crab, from which you have picked the white and brown meat and cracked the claws. You could also serve the mayonnaise with lobster, or with torn chicken, which makes a fantastic sandwich filler.
