Sand Crab

Crab meat, very desirable, sometimes difficult to acquire enough for decent portions, and quite frequently bastardised to the point that the flavour and texture of the poor crab has been lost! Hidden behind a million and one ingredients, wrappings and sauces, this delicate gem from the sea deserves more in the form of less.

To attempt to add dimension and enhance the flavour of the meat I took something old and made it new again. Mignonette dressing is a very common accompaniment to fresh seafood, made from red wine vinegar, diced shallots and black pepper. This Mignonette was made in the same way, but with smoked tomato water that was seasoned with some cab sav vinegar. This gave some acid to the dish while complementing the sweet flavours of the crab and the smoke gave depth without over powering. A few diamonds of smoked tomato flesh reinforced this also.

To bring in some nice textures, colours and further assist with the fresh theme, diced cucumber seemed a no brainer, but when I started dicing it I noticed a lot of wastage, prompting me to make jelly. Purple basil having such a wonderful floral, perfumed flavour, teamed with it's amazing colour couldn't be left out.

The garnish is from a Restaurant in London called Hakkasan and called 'Golden Sand' due to it's texture and appearance. Quite simply it is milk curds that have been fried in burre noisette then drained. It has a wonderful characteristic of holding a crumbly texture on the dish, but being dairy, it melts on your tongue, leaving a creamy sensation!