Cook’s tips:
• It’s very important that the shellfish is succulent.
• Shellfish can be substituted with prawns or shrimps. Monkfish can also be used.
Crab and crayfish cocktail
Ingredients
Cocktail sauce (makes about 150ml)
- Makes about 150ml
- 100ml homemade or goodquality
- mayonnaise or 40ml fresh cream and 60ml mayonnaise
- 40ml tomato sauce
- 6 drops Worcestershire sauce
- 6 drops Tabasco
- 10ml brandy
- 2ml horseradish
- salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste squeeze of lemon juice
Poaching
- 1 litre water
- 10ml salt
- 80g carrots
- 1 bay leaf
- 80g fennel
- 1 celery stalk
- 30ml vinegar
- 30ml lemon juice
- 6 black peppercorns, crushed
- 1 small onion
- ½ vanilla pod
- 2ml fresh ginger, optional lemongrass, bruised
- 200g crayfish tail with shell
- 180g Alaskan king crab legs (from your local fishmonger)
- ice water, for refreshing
- 30ml fresh chives, finely chopped
- ¼ iceberg lettuce, cut into chiffonade
- 1 avocado, thinly sliced
- 5ml Maldon salt
- juice of ½ lemon
- ¼ cucumber, cut into ribbons
- 120g mixed baby lettuce
- ¼ red onion, thinly sliced
- 45ml assorted sprouts
- 20ml light vinaigrette
- 5ml fresh salmon trout roe, optional
Instructions
For the sauce, combine all the ingredients and refrigerate until needed.
Simmer the poaching ingredients for 25 – 30 minutes. Bring to a low simmer; if you have a thermometer the temperature of the water should be 70°C.
Poach the crayfish and crab legs in their shells until cooked, about 2 minutes. Do not overcook. Discard the liquid and refresh the seafood in ice water. Remove the meat from the shell, roughly shred or cube the crab meat and slice the crayfish tail.
Combine both shellfish with the cocktail sauce and sprinkle with the chives. Adjust the seasoning.
Place a little iceberg lettuce in the bottom of a serving bowl or glass. Season the avocado with the Maldon salt and lemon juice. Place the sliced avocado on one side of the shellfish and the cucumber on the other. Place the seafood mixture on top.
Put the baby lettuce in a mixing bowl together with the red onion. Toss through the vinaigrette and top with the sprout mixed with trout roe. Serve at room temperature.
