Classic French

Crab salad and pink grapefruit

Name: Crab salad and pink grapefruit
Yield: 1
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: 125g white crab meat, fresh; 50g brown crab meat, fresh and chopped slightly; 35g yogurt, natural; 1 sprig coriander, chopped; 1 tsp lime juice; 1 tsp lime, zested; 2 pinches salt, to taste; 1 pinch cayenne pepper; 75g brown crab meat; 20ml lemon juice; 10g Dijon mustard; 70ml sunflower oil; 20ml olive oil, extra virgin; ½ pinch cayenne, pepper; 2 pinches sea salt; 75ml pink grapefruit juice; 25g pink grapefruit, chopped segments; 0.5g Agar agar; ½ tsp chilli, chopped; 1tsp Chives, chopped; ½ stalk celery, peeled; iced water; 4 cocktail crab claws; 10g Caviar; 16g edible seaweed; 4 pink grapefruit segments, cut into small wedges; 16 pieces micro borage (optional)

A truly magnificent dish

Prep —Cook —Serves 1

Way back in 1977, my recipes began to show the subtle influence of my travels. One of my first experiments was a crab dish with an avocado salad, grapefruit and ginger. It tasted good - the sweetness of the crab against the bitter grapefruit and the spicy ginger – but I had over-designed the dish. It was too complex and just looked frightful. But this was part of the journey of learning. Today at Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, my crab salad has evolved into two different dishes. They are both modern and exciting to look at, and they have magnificent flavours and textures.

Ingredients

Ingredients for the crab salad

125gwhite crab meat, fresh
50gbrown crab meat, fresh and chopped slightly
35gyogurt, natural
1 sprigcoriander, chopped
1 tsplime juice
1 tsplime, zested
2 pinchessalt, to taste
1 pinchcayenne pepper

Ingredients for the brown crab mayonnaise

75gbrown crab meat
20mllemon juice
10gDijon mustard
70mlsunflower oil
20mlolive oil, extra virgin
1/2 pinchcayenne, pepper
2 pinchessea salt

Ingredients for the grapefruit jelly

75mlpink grapefruit juice
25gpink grapefruit, chopped segments
1/2gAgar agar
1/2 tspchilli, chopped
1tspChives, chopped

Celery salad

1/2 stalkcelery, peeled
iced water

Garnish

4cocktail crab claws
10gCaviar
16gedible seaweed
4pink grapefruit segments, cut into small wedges
16 piecesmicro borage (optional)

Method

1
Mix all the crab salad ingredients together in a bowl.
Taste and adjust the seasoning.
Reserve covered in the fridge until required.
2
In a jug blender, add all the ingredients apart from the two oils and blend until smooth.
Now combine the two oils into a jug and, on a medium speed, slowly add the oils to the mayonnaise to create an emulsion.
Check the seasoning and put into a squeeze bottle.
3
In a small saucepan, bring the grapefruit juice and agar agar to the boil, whisking constantly, then simmer for 2 minutes.
Remove from the heat and allow to cool over ice for 2 minutes.
Divide the grapefruit pieces between two airline containers and pour over the cooled jelly.
Now evenly sprinkle the chilli and chives over the top of the jelly.
Put in the fridge to set for a minimum of 2 hours.
4
To make the celery salad: Shave celery stalk into 2mm thin slithers, pick out the leaves from the centre of the celery and place in the iced water for 1 hour to firm up.
Reserve in the fridge.
5
To serve: Spoon a 4cm strip of the crab mayonnaise down the centre of each plate. Arrange a marinated crab claw to the right-hand side of the plate.
Arrange one mound of crab mix to the left of the crab claw. Top the crab mound with a small teaspoon of caviar and pieces of the grapefruit jelly.
Arrange the celery salad along the top of the plate and put the grapefruit segments in and around the celery. Finish with the seaweed salad and micro borage (optional).

Cooking is always an expression of care and generosity. Enjoy this dish.

Bon appétit!