Crab preparation 101

I promised my team quite a while ago that i would post the preparation of a crab. After finding the photos that we took, i am now posting what i promised. Thanks to Budi and Jason for their modelling hands, good work gents!

(raw)

Firstly the type of crab used here is the brown crab. It is a European crab and has a good amount of brown and white meat.

The humane way to cook the crab is to insert a skewer through the eyes and out through the tail. When the crab is dead, plunge into heavily salted boiling water. Cooking times vary according to the weight of the crab.

1 1/4 pound 15 mins

2 pound 20 mins

3 1/4 pound 25 mins

Anything larger cook for 30 mins

Once cooked, remove the crab from the water and allow to cool.

Once the crab is cool break off the claws, then remove the legs taking off the knuckle as well.

Break off the tail flap, then push the body section up and away from the head shell.

Pull the dead mans fingers off (the fat thumblike gills, you cant miss them).

(cooked)
Remove the brown meat from the headshell nto a container over ice and keep this separate.
Remove the brown meat from the centre of the body and add to the other brown meat. Then cut in half and using the back of a small teaspoon remove all of the white meat into a container over ice. The body should be quite hollow and much lighter after this process.
Crack the claws and the shells of the legs with the back of a knife and remove the meat without taking too much shell with it.
Using a tray over ice and wearing a pair of gloves. Pick through the crab in small handfuls by pressing the crab onto the tray and feeling any stray pieces of shell and membrane. Removing these pieces and dipping fingers in cold water to make sure it is gone.

Keep the crab in the fridge and serve that same day for best results.

Enjoy!!

Back from my break

Merry Xmas and a happy new year to everyone. I took a little posting break for a few weeks. These are some of my recent dishes

Gratinated tian of confit salmon and crab,

cauliflower, beetroot, thai basil

Duo of fallow deer

Roasted tenderloin, cherry brandy froth, walnut and horserasish legere;

Spiced carpaccio, pomegranite vinaigrette, pomme souffle

Seared gurnard fillet

Scottish mussels, papperdelle of pasta and salsify, saffron and orange mussel broth

Roasted tenderloin of Longhorn beef

oxtail marmalade, celeriac, wild mushroom duxelle, Chasseur sauce

New Forest Nanny goats cheese

thyme and black pepper honey poached pineapple, dried fig

This weeks plates............

Warm Vacherin on a bed of walnut, apple and raisin

Marinated Secretts farm vegetables

wild mushroom, herb crumbs, argan oil

Roasted medallion of cod

creamed fennel, warm beef tomatoes, cockle vinaigrette

Searing the beef on the salt stone

Rare salt stone seared organic beef skirt steak

gherkins, horseradish infused sour cream, trio of potato, spicy paprika sauce

Napoleon of Double Gloucester cheese and Autumn fruits

fresh clementine, Sicilian pistachio sable biscuit

This weeks du jour menu

New Forest venison carpaccio

pickled mousserons, pine nuts,smoked Lyburn cheese, sorrel, smoked pepper,

juniper sour cream

This is a very delicate starter. It is a dish that needs a balance of flavours and good seasoning. The oak smoked pepper works well with the venison and the smoky tones of the cheese help it along. The mushrooms lift the acidity of the dish as venison is quite rich. The juniper sour cream refreshes the palate with an aromatic twist.

Wild seabass poached in vanilla oil

crispy black lobster, honey wine sauce spiked with chervil

This is a light course with sweet flavours. The bass is poached at 55C in a grapeseed oil infused with Madagascan vanilla bean, for about 7 minutes. The lobster tail is coated in a tempura batter coloured with squid ink. The sauce is a cream sauce which is made with Riesling and honey wine, fresh chopped chervil is added just before saucing.

Beef three ways, seared fillet, braised short rib, crisp tongue

roasted root vegetables, liquid cepe gnocchi

This dish is strong with an Autumn feel to it. It showcases the different textures and flavours that come from one animal. The fillet is seared, roasted and sliced. The shortrib is braised through beef jus for 3-4 hours until falling off the bone. The tongue is poached in a court bouillion for approx 3.5 hours until tender, chilled, diced, brushed with dijon mustard an coate in herb breadcrumbs. The gnocchi are made using a cepe gnocchi dough, rolled and cut out, then filled with a cepe veloute set with gelatine and folded over, poached and fried in nut brown butter.

Espuma of Cerney goats cheese

dried fruit compote, oak ash

For this course i wanted a light tasty cheese mousse. I chose Cerney goats cheese for its fromage frais style texture and slightly citric notes from being so young. It is normally dusted in oak ash, which i find is a shame if ever its creamed or whipped because you have to scrape off the ash or the colour is very unappealing. So here we took 1 cup double cream and 1 cup whipping cream and 130g cerney. Boil the creams and add the cerney and blend in until smooth. Season lightly and add to an espuma gun charging it twice. Rest in the fridge for a good couple of hours and shake well before use. I made some oak ash to dust the top of the mousse to finish the dish and give the cheese back some of its identity of how it comes and should be served. It worked nicely and tasted great!

Taste of Hampshire menu

This weeks menu is started off with a sloe berry infused gin braised New Forest venison leg, topped with a root vegetable puree and then a potato mousseline espuma.

Sprinkled on top is root veg powder, rosemary, pine nuts and toasted cocoa nibs.

Followed by a wild Lymington seabass "en croute" with fennel, tomato,

grilled pink fir potatoes and saffron and orange veloute

Next up is a poached,then caramelised sirloin of organic Laverstoke park Hereford beef,

pied de mouton mushroom, braised bulgur wheat, purple mustard and port sauce

Cheese course is a delectable smoked Lyburn from the New Forest with red and white pear tartare, 40 second cinnamon cake and smoking cinnamon.

Who's playing with my camera??

Me, Ben and Larry on the line in full effect

This weeks new plates

Here is a slow poached seabass torchon with glazed vegetables and red wine fish jus

Laverstoke park beef fillet wrapped in smoked Alsace bacon, braised beef brisket, violet sprout leaves, aligot, seared foie gras, jus gras(foie fat)

Apple and blackberry gnocchi, oatmeal crumble, walnut custard, nice one Sam!