Crab Salad with lemon dressing

I returned from Paris last week very sad to leave but also fairly relieved that I didn't have to attempt to speak bad french anymore.

My parents were spending the week in our house in north Wales which is close to the sea so I went up on the train to join them for a few days and put in my orders for lobster and crabs from Ken the fisherman. It was extreme welsh weather when I arrived with horizontal rain and crazy winds after apparently a mediterranean week...typical!

Crab Salad

This is the most delicious salad if your a crab lover. I advise picking through the crab a bit before you mix it with anything just to prevent breaking a tooth on a bit of shell that could be lurking.

White crab meat
1/2 red chilli finely diced
Coriander roughly chopped
Seasoning and drizzle of lemon dressing

Salad, baby gem or soft green lettuce
Cucumber peeled and cored then sliced
Tomatoes cored and chopped
Avocado peeled and sliced
Lemon wedges

Lay the salad out on a plate with the cucumber and tomatoes scattered over.

Mix the crab meat with the chilli and coriander and a drizzle of the lemon dressing or mayonnaise and a squeeze of lemon juice.

Spoon the crab onto the top of the salad and drizzle the lemon dressing over the salad, serve with a lemon wedge.

Lemon dressing

I make the lemon dressing the same sort of way as making mayonnaise.

1 yolk
small teaspoon of dijon mustard
olive oil around 200ml
Juice of 1 lemon
tablespoon of water
1/2 teaspoon sugar

Put the yolk in a bowl and using a small whisk mix it with the mustard.
Slowly drizzle in olive oil, as otherwise it will separate. It will start to thicken.
Add around a tablespoon of water and some of the lemon juice and sugar to loosen it up.
Add some seasoning and keep tasting and adjusting ingredients, if its bitter add more sugar.

River cafe polenta, almond and lemon cake

This week has been a bit up and down with the weather, lots of rain and then an absolute scorcher yesterday in the 30˚s. Yesterday was an especially good day because not only did I get a little bit less pasty but I also stood up on my surfboard about 10 times!! I did almost die about twice getting absolutely smashed by waves and ended up with my hair looking a bit like a loo brush but very happy!! Since the weather has been crappy I made a huge cake, and I think this could be my newest most favourite cake I have ever made. I have been trawling through my River cafe books and there is so much amazing stuff so since I have all kinds of great ingredients on my door step I am going to go nuts and try loads this month. Serves 12 450g unsalted butter, softened 450g caster sugar 450g ground almonds 2 teaspoons good vanilla essence 6 free range eggs zest of 4 lemons juice of 1 lemon 225g polenta flour or fine semolina 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 1/4 teaspoon of salt Preheat the oven to ...

Caramelised endive with Serrano ham

This is another delicious Ottolenghi recipe, you could do it as a starter or part of a summery lunch. Serves 6 6 endives, cut in half lengthways 40g unsalted butter 4 tsp caster sugar 50g breadcrumbs 70g parmesan cheese, freshly grated 2 tbsp thyme leaves 120ml whipping cream 12 thin sliced of Serrano ham olive oil for drizzling Preheat the oven to 200˚C. Start by caramelising the endive in batches depending on how many you can fit in a frying pan. Put the butter and sugar in the pan over a high heat until the butter starts to bubble, then place the endive halves into the pan cut side down until they are golden. Remove and place into a lined baking tray, caramelised side up. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper. Mix the breadcrumbs with the cream, parmesan, thyme some salt and ground pepper. Spoon the mix on top of the endives and top with a slice of the ham. Roast in the oven until golden and the endives feel soft when poked with a knife. Serve hot or warm drizzled with a little oli...

Aubergine and goats cheese dip with pitta crisps

Don't be put off by the slightly grey, something you might find in a babies nappy, colour of this dip, it is really good I promise! Served along side some healthy pitta crisps and you have yourself a good little chip and dip for the party season. makes 2 dipping size bowls 100ml olive oil 1 onion, finely diced 2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped small 1 tbsp thyme leaves large pinch of chopped rosemary leaves 2 medium aubergines, finely diced 125g soft goats cheese, mild or cream cheese if you prefer salt and pepper pack of pitta breads olive oil handful fresh rosemary leaves, roughly chopped salt and pepper Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan, add the onion, garlic, thyme and rosemary and sauté gently until soft. Add the aubergine, and cook for about 15 minutes until it is cooked through, stir regulary to stop it from catching and season. Allow to cool slightly before pureeing in a food processor with the goats cheese, check the seasoning and add more goats cheese to taste if nee...

Food In My Home

Search This Blog