Jean-Denis Rieubland’s Crab Flavored with Kaffir Lime

Ingredients

For the Crab

• 1 live crab (800g)
• 100g carrot
• 100g onion
• 200ml white vinegar
• 500ml crustacean stock
• peppercorns
• thyme sprig
• 100g mango
• 1 lemon
• 1 bunch chives
• 2 spring onions
• 50ml cognac
• 120g cream
• 6 soaked gelatine leaves
• 40g caviar “sturia, prestige”
• 1 slice of sandwich bread
• handful borage flowers
• handful pineapple sage
• handful mini purple shizo
• kumbawa
• Espelette pepper
• salt
• 1 gold leaf

For the Jam

• oranges
• limes
• apple (golden)
• 100g butter
• 50g sugar

Method

1. Cook the crab in the crustacean stock seasoned with some peppercorns and a sprig of thyme for about 8 min. Remove the crab from heat and leave to cool in ice water. Do not discard the stock.
2. Once cool, peel the crab by removing all the cartilage and chop finely.
3. Add mango brunoise, chopped spring onion, chives, lemon juice, Espelette pepper, cognac and a grated kumbawa to the crab meat .
4. Melt 2 leaves of gelatine in 60g of cream and add to the mixture crab mixture. With a mould, shape half-spheres of the crab and set aside to cool.
5. Whisk 60g cream until stiff and then season with salt, pepper and grated kumbawa. Set aside.
6. Add the remaining 4 sheets of gelatine to the crustacean stock and place it in the fridge on a flat plate up to 3mm and leave to set.  Once solidified cut into 4cm circles.
7. Cut out 20 small circles from the sandwich bread and place in the oven until crispy.

For the Jam

1. Segment the oranges and cook with half the golden apple, 50gr of butter and 25gr of sugar.
2. Segment the limes and cook with half the golden apple, 50gr of butter and 25gr of sugar.
3. Once softened, mix both jams together and pass through a cone strainer.

Plating

1. On a plate, place three spheres of crab cakes and top each with a disc of broth.
2. Place a circle of crispy bread on top of each.
3. Put the kumbawa cream on one, on another the citrus jam and on the third a beautiful quenelle of caviar.
4. On the plate add small dollops of citrus marmalade and kumbawa cream points and five caviar roe.
5. Finish with flowers, shizo, chives tip and a little gold leaf.

Recipe courtesy of Jean-Denis Rieubland of Michelin-starred Le Royal at the Royal Champagne Hotel and Spa.