Fresh Crab with Homemade Mayonnaise
By Nick Nairn
Ingredients
| Quantity | Item |
|---|---|
| 1 | Live fresh brown crab (about 700g) |
| 1 | Medium egg yolk, at room temperature |
| 1 tablespoon | Dijon mustard |
| 300ml (10 fl oz) | Vegetable oil, at room temperature |
| 2 tablespoons | Freshly-squeezed lemon juice (about 陆 a lemon) |
Method
The first thing is to cook the crab. If you鈥檙e not happy to kill the crab yourself then ask your fishmonger to do this for you. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and drop the crab in ensuring it is fully submerged. When the water comes back up to the boil set a timer for 15 mins then remove the crab and leave to cool. A larger crab will take longer to cook.
Whilst the crab is cooling you can make the mayonnaise. Mix the egg yolk and mustard together in a small clean bowl using a good whisk. You can stand the bowl on a wet towel or cloth to hold the bowl steady. Very gradually (teaspoon by teaspoon), whisk in half the oil so that the mixture becomes thick and glossy. Now whisk in the lemon juice 鈥� the mixture will go a lighter colour and thin down a little. Whisk in the remaining oil, pouring in a thin steady stream until you have a pale, thick glossy emulsion. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
Now comes the fiddly bit. Place the crab face down on a chopping board and give its back a good bash with the heel of your hand. This should open it up. Pull off the claws and give them a good bash with the back of a heavy knife or an old rolling pin. Pick out all the white meat from the claws, legs and body including the brown meat (the handle of a small teaspoon is useful for this), taking care to leave behind the feathery looking gills or 鈥渄ead man's fingers鈥� as these are very bitter and not to be eaten.
Place all of the crab meat into a bowl and add two or three table spoons of the mayonnaise. Combine together so that the meat is nicely coated. Season with salt and pepper if you think it needs it and serve on some fresh bread or crackers.
