Recipe: Crab, curry, mango from Àclèaf

The crab dish was born in 2012 so it dates back to pre-Àclèaf and even pre-Boringdon days for me; when we were coming up with a menu for a guest’s wedding. Of course it looked very different then to how it does now.

Crab

• 200g picked Brixham crab claw meat from a large brown crab approximately 2kg in size

To prepare, flip the crab on its back to reveal a triangular tail piece pointing up towards the crab’s head. Lift this back fully to reveal a small cone-shaped hole.

Drive a screwdriver or a thick spike into the hole with a sharp tap from a rolling pin. This is the quickest and most humane way to kill the crab. Boil the crab in salted water for 8-10 minutes. Remove from the boiling water and leave to cool for 30 minutes before picking.

To pick the crab, remove the claws and place on a thick chopping board. Using a heavy handled knife, (something robust that you don’t mind potentially damaging) give a few firm taps to crack the claw. Gently remove the shells and release the soft white meat, being careful to not let any shell or cartilage mix through the meat.

Curry oil

• 3tbs Madras curry powder
• 100ml rapeseed oil
• 20g chopped ginger
• 30g chopped lemongrass
• 2 kaffir lime leaves
• 1 dried scallop
• 8 dried shrimp

Combine all the ingredients in a pan, bringing the temperature up to 80ºC. Allow to infuse for 10 minutes before blitzing and passing through a muslin-lined sieve.

Curry emulsion

• 100g mayonnaise
• 40g Greek yogurt
• 15ml lime juice
• 30g curry oil
• Salt

Combine the mayonnaise,yogurt, salt, lime juice and curry oil to a smooth paste and transfer into a squeeze bottle ready for plating.

Mango purée

• 100g mango purée
• 20g clear honey
• 35ml lime juice
• 15ml yuzu juice -1.5g agar-agar

Boil the mango purée with the lime juice and agar-agar for two minutes.

Add the honey, mix well and set aside until it sets.

Blend the set jelly at a low speed, adding the yuzu juice to bring it back to a consistency that holds itself; similar to toothpaste.

Cardamom and lime syrup

• 12 green cardamom pods
• 100ml water
• 100g caster sugar
• 20ml dashi vinegar
• 3 limes, zest and juiced
• 5 kaffir lime leaves

Boil the cardamom, sugar and water for three minutes. Add the kaffir lime leaves and the lime juice and boil for a further three minutes.

Remove from the heat and add the lime zest and dashi vinegar, leaving this to infuse for 10 minutes before passing through a sieve and reserving. You will only need one tablespoon per serving of crab.

To finish

• Chopped chives
• Coriander cress
• Bronze leaf fennel
• Chervil
• Borage flower
• Basil cress
• Diced mango
• Coriander oil

Mix the crab meat with one tablespoon of the cardamom and lime syrup, chopped chives and diced mango. Make a spiral in the middle of the plate with the curry mayonnaise and place a ring pastry cutter in the centre. Build the crab mix around the outer edge of the ring and then carefully remove. Place five dots of mango purée on the crab and then garnish with a few small herbs, such as bronze leaf fennel, coriander, basil, chervil and borage flowers. Finish the dish with coriander oil in the centre of the spiral.

Àclèaf by Scott Paton (Away With Media, £50)