Crab is sustainable, less expensive than lobster and in my opinion much tastier. Any decent fishmonger should have fresh picked crab. Use both the brown and the white meat for real taste – the richness comes from the brown meat, the elegance and freshness from the white. It’s great in the summer – just make sure you don’t get pasteurised tasteless crab meat from the Far East. North Sea brown crab is far superior.
Creamed North Shields crab on toast
Author: Rhian Cradock
Serves: 4
Ingredients
- 200ml double cream
- 1 lemon
- pinch ground mace
- pinch cayenne
- freshly ground black pepper
- white and brown meat from one crab, picked to remove any small bones (approx. 400g)
- salt
- 4 slices sourdough bread, toasted and rubbed with garlic while warm
- 1 tbsp chopped parsley
Method
- Put a small pan over a medium heat, add the cream and reduce by half until very thick.
- Take off the heat and add the juice of the lemon, mace, cayenne and pepper.
- Fold in the crab meat and place back on the heat to warm through gently.
- Taste to see if it needs more lemon juice and/or salt.
- Pile on top of the toast and finish with a sprinkling of chopped parsley.
