Blue swimmer crab, chilli, lemon, garlic, white wine

SERVES 2

“When I eat shellfish, I like to enjoy myself, get messy, have fun and relish being a kid again. The trick is to focus on the treasure inside,” says Tierney.

100 ml extra-virgin olive oil 6 garlic cloves, finely chopped 1 long red chilli, finely sliced 1 birdseye chilli, finely sliced 1 pickled jalapeño, finely sliced 1 bay leaf lemon, pith and flesh removed, rind finely sliced

2 blue swimmer crabs, cleaned (see note)

100 gm butter

500 ml dry white wine

2 cm piece of lemon zest, finely chopped

80 ml lemon juice

2 green shallots, finely sliced

1 Heat olive oil in a large wok on a medium heat. Add garlic, long red

chilli, birdseye, jalapeño, bay leaf, and preserved lemon and sauté for 30 seconds. Add crab and toss and coat quickly in the spices. Then add butter, white wine, lemon zest, lemon juice and cover with a lid to steam for 8 minutes or until crab is cooked. To check if crab is cooked, use a knife to pierce the thickest part of the body. If the flesh is white all the way through, it is ready.

2 Once crab is cooked, toss with green shallots and season to taste with cracked pepper and sea salt. Serve immediately. 3 To finish, place legs and body onto the plate first. Delicately position the carapace (upper section of shell) on top of the arranged crab for presentation. Spoon remaining sauce from the wok over the top. Serve immediately.

Note To kill and prepare crab ethically, place it in a dark box in a freezer for 30 minutes. Once asleep, take a sharp knife, and pierce straight between the eyes about 3cm deep. Remove the tail by grasping between the fingers and pulling off. Then grab the back of the carapace where the tail was connected and pull away from the body. Wash carapice under running water and set aside. Pull off the gills (a grey/green colour, curling either side of crab) and discard. Cut crab in half, lengthway. Wash out crab mustard and guts in running water. Slightly crack the two front claws with the back of a knife. Refrigerate until ready to cook. ➤