Preparation time
less than 30 mins
Cooking time
30 mins to 1 hour
Serves
Serves 4
- 1 handful of fresh mussels, scrubbed and debearded
- 1 handful of fresh cockles or clams, scrubbed and debearded
- 150ml/5fl oz white wine
- peelings from the fennel, onion and celery (see below)
- 1 thyme sprig
- 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- ½ fennel bulb, trimmed, peeled and diced
- ½ onion, finely chopped
- 2 celery sticks, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, finely grated
- 100g/3½oz baby courgettes, thinly sliced
- 1 small aubergine, diced
- 100g/3½oz fresh peas, podded
- 1 Little Gem lettuce, shredded
- 2 ripe tomatoes, core removed and flesh diced
- 5 raw tiger prawns, heads removed, shells removed, de-veined and chopped into small pieces
- 200g/7oz prepared white crab claw meat
- 1 lemon, juice only
- 1 pinch sweet smoked paprika
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- micro basil, to garnish
Method
Discard any mussels, cockles or clams with broken shells and any that refuse to close when tapped. Place the shellfish in a saucepan with the wine, 500ml/18fl oz of water, peelings and thyme. Season with salt and pepper and cook until the shellfish are opened. Discard any shellfish that remain closed. Remove the shellfish with a slotted spoon and leave to cool slightly.
Strain the shellfish stock through a muslin and set aside. Pick the meat from the shellfish and set aside.
Heat the oil in a frying pan and sweat the fennel, onion, celery and garlic for 5 minutes. Add the courgette and aubergine and sweat for another 5 minutes. Add the peas and sweat for a few minutes, or until everything is softened.
Add the shellfish stock, Gem lettuce, tomatoes, prawns and shellfish meat. Cook for a few minutes, or until the prawns turn pink and are cooked through.
Mix the crab meat, lemon juice and paprika in a bowl.
Spoon the crab meat mixture into the centre of a serving bowl. Ladle the vegetable mixture into the serving bowl around the crab meat.