Shore crab bouillabaisse with crab claws, fennel and rouille
This is Christopher's favourite summer activity. The moment the shore crabs are caught, they go into the pan to become crab soup. The sous chef is always his youngest daughter, and the kitchen is always the boathouse at Stokksund.
Christopher Davidsen
Ingredients
For the shore crab bouillabaisse
- kg Live shore crabs
- tbsp Tomato purée
- ml Olive oil
- Red cherry tomatoes, halved
- Fennel, finely chopped
- Shallots, finely chopped
- Garlic cloves, finely chopped
- Green chilli, finely chopped
- tbsp Fresh ginger, grated
- Star anise
- tsp Fennel seeds
- ml White wine (a fresh Riesling is perfect)
- ml Water
- ml Whole milk
- ml Cream
- Lemon, juice
- g Crab claws
- Fennel
For the rouille
- Grilled red pepper (available in supermarkets)
- tbsp Sun-dried tomatoes
- Slice of white bread (crusts off)
- Red chilli
- Garlic clove
- Egg yolk
- ml Olive oil
- ml Sunflower oil
- tbsp Paprika
Instructions
Rouille
Put the pepper, bread, chilli, garlic, paprika and egg yolk in a bowl and blitz everything to a smooth paste with a stick blender.
Gradually pour in the oil in a thin, steady stream until the rouille is smooth. You want the consistency of a thick mayonnaise.
Season to taste with lemon juice, salt and pepper.
Shore crab bouillabaisse
Heat a roomy pan and add the olive oil.
When the oil is just about to smoke, fry the shore crabs until they turn red and it starts to smell of properly cooked crab.
Add the fennel, shallot, garlic, chilli, ginger and spices. Fry for a couple of minutes, then add the tomato purée and fry for two minutes more.
Add the white wine and boil it down quickly until there's almost none left.
In a French kitchen, reducing something until there's almost nothing left is called au sec, which means "almost dry". You do it to maximise flavour without adding liquid and volume.
Add the tomatoes, water, milk and cream and turn the heat down. Leave it to bubble away for half an hour.
Crush the crabs as they cook. There's a lot of flavour inside the shells.
Once it's cooked for half an hour or so, strain it into a clean pan. Be thorough about pressing as much liquid as you can out of what's left.
Bring the strained soup to the boil. If you want a stronger flavour, you can reduce it for a few more minutes.
Season to taste with salt, pepper and lemon juice.
Set a little of the soup aside to cook finely shredded fennel in. It takes about 3-5 minutes.
Get the crab claws ready right at the end.
Put the crab claws and the thin strips of fennel in the bottom of a soup bowl and loosen the soup with the rouille you made first, so you get a good, rich soup. Pour the soup over the claws and fennel in the bowl.
For the shore crab bouillabaisse
For the rouille
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Christopher Davidsen
