BLUE SWIMMER CRAB TAGLIARINI

With chilli, garlic, confit fennel, Tasmanian salmon roe and champagne beurre blanc.

It’s been a bumper season for blueys across much of SA, and here’s an upmarket variation on the ever popular chilli crab.

Ingredients (serves two)

• 250g egg tagliarini (can be purchased from most supermarkets or Italian import shops)

• 250g blue swimmer crab meat

• Small jar Tasmanian salmon roe

• 1 stale brioche bun (can be substituted with regular bread)

• 8 peeled garlic cloves

• 3 medium sized chillies, sliced

• 1 medium sized shallot, finely diced

• 1 large fennel bulb, tops reserved for garnish

• 1 large lemon, juiced

• 1 bunch fresh chives, sliced

• 200ml champagne or sparkling white wine

• 400g unsalted butter

• Pantry staples: olive oil, vegetable oil and salt

Method

Cut fennel in half and place in a baking dish with six garlic cloves. Cover with two thirds vegetable oil and one third olive oil. Bake at 150 degrees in a fan forced oven for 45-60 minutes or until tender. Remove garlic cloves and slice lengthways. Also remove fennel, quarter it and remove most of the core. Mince remaining two garlic cloves and spread onto brioche, along with a generous amount of olive oil and salt. Toast in 150C oven until crisp all the way through. Allow to cool, then roughly chop.

Preheat a pan on a medium heat and add two thirds of the butter, diced shallots, sliced garlic and chilli. Bake confit fennel in a 240-degree oven for five minutes or until nicely caramelised on one side.

Cook pasta as per packet instructions. While the pasta and fennel are cooking, add the crab meat to the pan, gently breaking apart large parts and season with salt.

Add the champagne and reduce until nearly evaporated. The sauce should start splitting when reduced enough. At this point add 100ml of pasta water and continue cooking at a rolling boil. Add the al dente pasta to the sauce and cook for a further 30 seconds to a minute, then add chives, remaining butter, a splash of olive oil, lemon juice and season to taste. The sauce should be glossy, well seasoned and fairly tangy from the lemon and champagne. If it has split, add more pasta water or, if it is watery, reduce further and add extra butter. Serve immediately and garnish with fresh salmon roe, brioche crumbs, a drizzle of olive oil, chives, fennel tops and the confit fennel.

SERVES: 2 PREP: 30 mins COOKING TIME: 45 mins HEALTHY EATING SCORE: ★★★★★

The Peninsula Hotel – 481 Victoria Road, Taperoo Phone: 08 8248 1171

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