Recipe: Roscoff crab in Green Zebra tomato jelly with tarragon and coral-infused mayo by Éric Frechon
Serves 4
4 x 800g Roscoff crab
Coriander blossoms
Nage
1 leek
2 carrots
500ml dry white wine
250ml white vinegar
1 bay leaf
5 sprigs of thyme
50g coarse salt
5g coarse pepper
3 litres of water
Green tomato jelly
1kg green tomatoes
2 tarragon stalks
1 garlic clove
1 sprig of thyme
1 bay leaf
4 gelatin sheets
Fine salt
Ground pepper
Mayonnaise
1 egg yolk
1tsp mustard
10cl grapeseed oil
1 dash Xérès vinegar
1 bunch tarragon
Curry vinaigrette
150ml olive oil
30ml lemon juice
2g Indian curry powder
2g Bombay curry powder
2g salt
Nage
Peel and rinse all the vegetables. Transfer to a pot with aromatics; add the water and salt. Bring to a boil and then leave to cook for 30 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the white wine, white vinegar and coarse pepper. Pass everything through a chinois.
Crabs
Bring the nage to a boil, add the crabs, and cook for 12 minutes. Drain the crabs and leave to cool. Remove the shell, taking care not to damage the claws. Retain and blend the coral, then pass through a fine sieve and set aside.
Green tomato jelly
Soak the gelatin sheets in cold water. Remove the tarragon leaves from the stalk. Cut the green tomatoes into eighths. Transfer to a pan with a little water, season with salt, then add the crushed garlic clove, thyme, bay and tarragon leaves. Bring to a boil and cook for two minutes. Pass through a chinois without pressing.
Drain the gelatin sheets and add them to the tomato water. Mix together. Set aside in a mixing bowl set on ice, stirring regularly until the liquid has obtained a slick consistency.
Dressing the crab
Lay plastic wrap over four circles (8cm in diameter). Arrange the claws, pincers and crab meat in the circles. Pour the tomato liquid to fill the circle and leave to set for one hour in the fridge.
Curry vinaigrette
Mix the salt and lemon juice in a bowl, add the curry powder and mix well, then pour in the olive oil. Allow to infuse for 15 minutes, then strain.
Tarragon and coral mayo
Make a mayonnaise. Remove the leaves from the tarragon and blanch for two minutes. Plunge into an ice bath and drain. Mix in a blender to obtain a smooth coulis. Separate the mayonnaise into two batches. Mix the first batch with the crab coral and the second part with the tarragon coulis.
Plating
Remove the circles and transfer the crab to plates. Arrange dots of the tarragon and coral mayo around the crab. Sprinkle with tarragon leaves and coriander flowers, then a few drops of the curry vinaigrette.
Recipe taken from Éric Frechon. Photography by Benoît Linero
