Crab and mussel chowder

This deliciously simple recipe plays to the natural flavours and strengths of crab and mussels – its raw ingredients. I tumbled this together while on holiday with the family spearfishing in Cornwall this summer.

We’d already picked fresh mussels from the rocks, and when we pulled in our lobster pot, rather than a large, tasty lobster, all we had were four crabs. Three were a little on the small side so I tossed them back into the sea for next year, but the last one was certainly big enough for a hearty chowder.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 1 good sized crab, cooked and dressed
  1 bunch of spring onions
  Mussels (500g or30-40 freshly picked)
  1 good knob of salted butter
  1 glass of dry white wine
  300ml single cream
  3 cloves of finely chopped garlic
  Salt
  Pepper
  A generous handful of coriander
  Juice of one lime

Method:

1. Add a knob of butter and glass of dry white wine to the saucepan. Add the debearded mussels and cook for 5 minutes on a rolling boil with the pan lid on.
2. Once the mussels are cooked (this will be when they are fully open and firm to touch in their fleshy parts) take them off the heat. Strain the sauce into another pan.
3. Then remove the mussels from their shells. Add these to the sauce, along with the chopped spring onions, the chopped coriander and the meat from the pre-cooked crab. Season the sauce with salt and pepper.
4. Place the saucepan back on the hob until the spring onions soften (around five minutes) then add 300ml of single cream and squeeze in the lime.
5. Bring to the boil remove from heat and serve with hunks of crusty buttered bread.

More delicious recipes from The Shotgun Chef.