Open crab sandwiches with watercress

Open crab sandwiches with watercress

Use a lovely bloomer shaped loaf for these open sandwiches. The oval shape of the slices are a perfect platter for the crab with the crusts keeping everything very robust!

Serves 10 as part of a Jubilee banquet

Preparation time 30 minutes

Ingredients

1 egg yolk

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

200ml oil

3 lemons

Sea salt and freshly ground pepper

300g crab meat, brown and white, kept separately, from Shellseekers Fish & Game

1 tablespoon of wholegrain mustard

2 teaspoons of hot pepper sauce from Cool Chile Co

100g butter, at room temperature for spreading

10 slices of bread, brown or white, whichever you prefer

100g watercress from Only Organics

Preparation Method

First, make some mayonnaise. Place the egg yolk in a mixing bowl. What you also ideally need is someone to hold the bowl, or a tea towel to secure it. Add in the mustard and whisk to combine.

Start pouring the oil into the egg yolk mixture in a thin stream whisking vigorously all the while. Everything will start to emulsify and begin to look thick. When all of the oil has gone in, squeeze in the juice of half a lemon and also 1 tbsp cold water. Season the mayonnaise generously, tasting it to make sure it is not too oily. If it is, add a little more lemon.

Gently stir the brown crab meat into the mayonnaise, along with the mustard, pepper sauce and another good squeeze of lemon.

Butter the bread then top with the brown crabmeat mixture, spreading it to cover the bread. Top each with some watercress, then scatter on the white crab meat.

Place on a large serving plate and decorate with the remaining lemons cut into generous wedges.

If the mayonnaise splits whilst you are pouring in the oil don’t waste it!  

Start the process afresh in a clean bowl with another egg yolk and a spoon of Dijon, then start adding the curdled mayonnaise as you would have done with the oil.  You can of course use a hand whisk or even a plastic blade in a food processor to do the job!