Crab on toast

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This simple and elegant crab toast recipe from Amy Elles is made from a whole live brown crab, but could also be made with pre-cooked crab. Brown crab meat is mixed into a homemade mayonnaise, spread in a generous layer on sourdough toast and then topped with delicate flakes of white crab meat to serve.

First published in 2023
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Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

  • 1 live brown crab, optionally shocked in ice water or stunned
  • salt
  • 1 lemon, cut into wedges
  • sourdough, to serve
  • olive oil, for cooking
  • some fresh herbs or edible flowers, for garnish

Mayonnaise

Method

1

First prepare the crab: bring a large pan of water to the boil and add salt – lots of salt. It should be as salty as the sea. Add the crab and boil for 15-20 mins depending on the size

2

Remove from the pan and allow to cool. Once cool, pick all the meat from the crab, keeping the white and brown meat separate. Pick through the white meat, making sure you remove all the cartilage and shell

3

Whisk the brown meat to bring it together, and season with a little lemon juice and salt

4

To make the mayonnaise add the egg, mustard, vinegar and salt to a bowl and whisk together

5

Mix the oils together. Slowly add them to the egg yolk mixture, drop by drop at first. Once an emulsion has formed you can pour it in a little quicker. Once all the oil is used up you should have a nice thick mayonnaise. If it’s a little thin add some more sunflower oil

  • 125ml of sunflower oil
  • 50ml of olive oil
6

Add 2 tablespoons of the brown crab meat and a squeeze of lemon juice to the
mayonnaise and taste to check for seasoning. Set aside

7

Rub the sourdough with olive oil and toast either in a hot pan or in the oven, then remove and let cool slightly

  • sourdough, to serve
  • olive oil, for cooking
8

To serve, spread the brown crab mayonnaise onto the toast in a good thick layer.
Top carefully with the delicate flakes of white meat and garnish with your favourite herbs or some edible flowers and a lemon wedge

  • some fresh herbs or edible flowers, for garnish
  • 1 lemon, cut into wedges
First published in 2023
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Having started her career at Harrods, Amy Elles has gone on to cook around the world. She celebrates seasonal Scottish produce through her events catering company Stocks Events and Fife restaurant The Harbour Café.

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