Cornish Crab, Fried CackleBean Egg and Coastal Vegetables

Robin Gill

Robin Gill

24th February 2020
Robin Gill

Cornish Crab, Fried CackleBean Egg and Coastal Vegetables

180 min

Serves 6.

Ingredients

  • 300g fresh white crab meat 2 tablespoons Nori Powder (see below) olive oil 50g sea purslane 100g samphire 18 radishes 50g Pickled Rock Samphire (see below)
  • juice of 1 lemon 50g unsalted butter, diced 6 eggs (we use CackleBean) 200g Brown Crab Mayo (see below) sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Rock Samphire Pickle (Makes about 600g)

  • 600g rock samphire 170ml rice wine vinegar 170g caster sugar 170ml water

Brown Crab Mayo

  • 150g brown crab meat 50g egg yolks 155g Crab Oil 50g crème fraîche 1–2 drops of Tabasco sauce juice of ½ lemon

Method

Season the white crab meat with a little of the nori powder, salt and olive oil to taste. Set aside.
Blanch the sea purslane and samphire together in a pan of boiling water for 10 seconds. Drain and refresh in iced water. Cut half of the radishes into quarters and the rest into thin round slices.
Put the sea purslane, samphire and radishes into a mixing bowl with the pickled rock samphire. Season with a pinch of salt, the lemon juice and a little olive oil, and toss together gently.
Place a couple of large non-stick frying pans over a medium heat. Add the butter and melt it. When it turns slightly golden, crack the eggs into the pans and season each with a pinch of salt and black pepper. Fry the eggs to your liking.
Place a generous spoonful of brown crab mayo in the centre of each plate. Top with a fried egg, placing it gently, and add a dollop of the white crab meat (don’t cover the egg yolk).
Scatter radishes and coastal vegetables around. Finish by dusting the entire dish with the remaining nori powder.

Nori powder

Sheets of dried nori (use a minimum of 4 sheets as fewer will not turn in the blender).
Preheat the oven to 160°C fan/180°C/Gas Mark 4. Place the sheets of nori on a baking tray and toast in the oven for 5 minutes. Allow to cool completely.
Cut the sheets into small pieces. Put into a blender or food processor (make sure the bowl is really dry) and blend to a fine powder. Store in an airtight container in your store cupboard.

Rock Samphire Pickle

Pack the rock samphire into a sterilised 1-litre heatproof jar. Combine the vinegar, sugar and water in a pot and bring to the boil.
Remove from the heat and pour the boiling liquid over the rock samphire. Seal the jar and leave in a cool place to pickle for 5 days.
The sealed jar can be stored in a cool, dark place for up to a year. Once opened, keep in the fridge and use within 3 months.

Brown Crab Mayo

Place the brown crab meat in a piece of muslin, gather into a pouch and gently squeeze out any excess liquid. Put the crab meat in a blender or food processor and add the egg yolks.
Start blending at a medium speed, then slowly drizzle in the oil while blending (add a touch of cold water if the mix becomes too thick).
Transfer to a mixing bowl and add the crème fraîche, Tabasco and lemon juice to taste. Mix together. Keep in the fridge until required.

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