After our visit to the red craw crayfish farm in Wolvi, and cooking those delicious red craws I wrote about in a previous post, I used the red craw shells to make my fabulous, flavoursome crab stock. Usually I make this stock as I have written in this recipe below with blue swimmer crabs. When made it freezes well, so it is ready for the next time I make a Bourride, one of our favourite Provençal dishes, a fish stew. In fact we are making it in the next French Odyssey – Journey through France cooking class in December. It does take some time and application; however, you will be rewarded with a magnificently flavoured stock.
Ingredients
500g swimmer crabs, cut into 4
Crustacea shells from the bourride, prawn or crab
½ fennel
2 stalks celery
1 clove garlic
200ml white wine – sauvignon blanc
1 x leek
6 x peeled roma tomatoes
3 litres cold fish stock
1 x star anise
1 x fresh bay leaf
6 x white peppercorns
6 x parsley stalks
2 x sprigs tarragon
Splash some olive oil into the bottom of a large pot and heat until very hot. Gently put the crabs into the pot and shake them around, toss with the spatula, do not move around too much as that will extract too much liquid form the crabs. When they turn red turn down the heat. Add the prawn shells and cook until red.
Continue to sweat the shells with chopped vegetables without caramelising. Add the tomatoes and garlic, cook out well until pot is dry. Add white wine and simmer till half is gone. Add other ingredients, fish stock, star anise, bay leaf, peppercorns, parsley and tarragon simmer gently, for 30 minutes. Cover with glad wrap and stand for 1 hour before straining.
Options: add cream and extra seafood, such as prawns, crab, vongloes, mussels, fish, to make into a bisque.
