Crab and Compressed Watermelon Recipe

Starter
challenging
4
60 minutes

PT1H

This is complex crab and watermelon recipe from Simon Hulstone is a truly challenging recipe. It requires specialist ingredients, specialist equipment and cooking sous vide. However, if you are prepared to make the effort and have the equipment, you will not be disappointed.

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Ingredients

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Metric

Imperial

Crab

200g of white crab meat
50g of mayonnaise
salt
pepper
10g of chives

Watermelon

1 small ripe melon

Cucumber ketchup

2 cucumbers, juiced
2g of gellan gum type F
1g of gellan LT100
1 tbsp of cider vinegar
1 tsp sugar

Lovage gel

400ml of chicken stock
4g of gellan gum type F
1g of gellan LT100
1 handful of fresh lovage
1 drop of green food colouring

To plate

1 handful of edible flowers

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Piping bag 1-2cm nozzle
Thermomix TM31
Stick blender
Sous vide or water bath
Electric mixer
Vacuum bag and machine

Method

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Infuse the lovage with the stock and simmer over a medium heat. Pass through a sieve and add a touch of green food colouring

400ml of chicken stock
1 handful of fresh lovage
1 drop of green food colouring

Place the stock in Thermomix and bring to 100°C, add the gellans at speed 4 and mix at 95°c for a further 2 minutes. Pour onto a flat metal tray to cover a thickness of about 1mm

4g of gellan gum type F
1g of gellan LT100

Leave to cool. Once cool, cut into squares of approximately 10cm

For the watermelon, peel and trim the fruit and slice into pieces approximately 1cm thick, choosing the best pip free areas. Cut into rectangles approximately 4 x7cm

1 small ripe melon

Put the pieces in a vac pac bag and vacuum. Then release from the bags; this compresses the juices and makes the watermelon transparent but bright red

For the crab, use fresh white crab meat. Check for shells and cartilage. Add the mayonnaise to bind, then add the seasoning and chives

200g of white crab meat
salt
pepper
10g of chives

For the cucumber ketchup, bring the cucumber juice up to 100°C in the Thermomix. Add the gellans and blend for a further 2 minutes

2 cucumbers, juiced
2g of gellan gum type F
1g of gellan LT100

Pour into a deep bowl. As it cools, use a stick blender to break up the setting gel. Continue this until the gel is cold and fluid

Add the vinegar and sugar whilst still blending. Pass through a fine sieve; you should have a thick fluid gel. Spoon into a piping bag

1 tbsp of cider vinegar
1 tsp sugar

To serve, place the watermelon on the plate. Fill the lovage gel with the crab mix and roll over, ensuring it is tightly wrapped

Place on top of the watermelon, garnish with flowers

Pipe dots of cucumber ketchup and serve

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Simon Hulstone

Simon Hulstone's aesthetically pleasing and rewarding cuisine can be found in Torquay - at The Elephant Brasserie and its adjoining The Room in the Elephant.