I am still loving France apart from the fact that I am meant to be brown by now and the sun has not come out nearly enough. We have become totally obsessed with eating fish since we are a 5 minute bike ride from the port where there is a market every day with the fisherman arriving with their catch from the morning. It also helps that it's so cheap!
The only place I have ever bought fresh crab is straight from Ken the fisherman in north Wales where I have spent my summers by the sea every year since forever. It has always been a bit of a tradition to name them, so since our crab was french we named him Clemence, and he was very tasty...merci Clemence!
This is a delicious, simple way to eat crab. You can buy the white meat from the supermarket or fishmonger too if you don't fancy cooking the crab and picking the meat out yourself. Also if you don't like the brown meat then just use the white meat and give the brown to your cat instead.
serves 5
1 large male crab about 1kg or 2 small
2 fresh red chillies, seeded and finely chopped
a small bunch of parsley finely chopped
juice of 2 lemons
3 garlic cloves peeled and chopped finely into a paste with salt
5 plum tomatoes peeled, seeded and finely diced
125ml olive oil
250g linguine
salt and pepper
extra virgin olive oil
Get the fishmonger to kill the crabs for you, or you can put them to sleep in the freezer for about 5 mins before you boil them. Get a saucepan large enough for the crab and fill it with water, enough that it will cover the crab when you put it in. Once boiling drop your crab in and put the lid on and boil gently for 20 minutes. Then take it out and leave to cool.
Once cool remove the claws and legs, break the bodies open carefully, remove the brown meat from inside the shell and put it in a bowl. Pick out the white meat from the claws and the legs and mix it in with the brown meat and the lemon juice, salt and pepper.
Get a pan of salted water on the boil for the linguine and start it cooking. While the pasta is cooking, gently fry the garlic and chilli together with the olive oil, you don't want it to colour at all. After about 2 minutes add the tomatoes. Once the tomatoes have started to break up, season, add the linguine, stir in the crab and parsley and serve with a drizzle of good olive olive oil on top.
The only place I have ever bought fresh crab is straight from Ken the fisherman in north Wales where I have spent my summers by the sea every year since forever. It has always been a bit of a tradition to name them, so since our crab was french we named him Clemence, and he was very tasty...merci Clemence!
This is a delicious, simple way to eat crab. You can buy the white meat from the supermarket or fishmonger too if you don't fancy cooking the crab and picking the meat out yourself. Also if you don't like the brown meat then just use the white meat and give the brown to your cat instead.
serves 5
1 large male crab about 1kg or 2 small
2 fresh red chillies, seeded and finely chopped
a small bunch of parsley finely chopped
juice of 2 lemons
3 garlic cloves peeled and chopped finely into a paste with salt
5 plum tomatoes peeled, seeded and finely diced
125ml olive oil
250g linguine
salt and pepper
extra virgin olive oil
Get the fishmonger to kill the crabs for you, or you can put them to sleep in the freezer for about 5 mins before you boil them. Get a saucepan large enough for the crab and fill it with water, enough that it will cover the crab when you put it in. Once boiling drop your crab in and put the lid on and boil gently for 20 minutes. Then take it out and leave to cool.
Once cool remove the claws and legs, break the bodies open carefully, remove the brown meat from inside the shell and put it in a bowl. Pick out the white meat from the claws and the legs and mix it in with the brown meat and the lemon juice, salt and pepper.
Get a pan of salted water on the boil for the linguine and start it cooking. While the pasta is cooking, gently fry the garlic and chilli together with the olive oil, you don't want it to colour at all. After about 2 minutes add the tomatoes. Once the tomatoes have started to break up, season, add the linguine, stir in the crab and parsley and serve with a drizzle of good olive olive oil on top.