SAND CRAB LASAGNE

Serves 6

Prep time 1 hour Cook time 45 minutes

béchamel sauce

60g butter

60g flour

600ml milk

40g Grana Padano cheese, grated

• Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat and stir in flour until smooth. Cook, stirring for 1 minute, then remove from heat.

• Gradually add the milk to the flour mixture, stirring continuously until you have a smooth sauce. Place back on the heat and stir until it boils and thickens.

• Remove from heat and stir in the cheese.

lasagne

3 litres water, salted

600g dry lasagne sheets

750g cooked crab meat (approximately 6 whole sand crabs), reserve shells for sauce salt and pepper, to taste

1 pinch of cayenne pepper

60ml Pomodoro sauce

25g tomato paste • Bring the water to a boil, then cook lasagne sheets until al dente. Cool. Preheat oven to 140°C.

• Mix ¾ of the béchamel sauce with the crab meat and season with salt, pepper and cayenne pepper.

• Pour Pomodoro sauce onto the base of an oven dish. Top with one layer of lasagne sheets. Lay half the crab meat-béchamel mixture on the lasagne sheet, followed by a layer of lasagne sheets. Repeat the layering process.

• In a blender, mix the remaining ¼ of béchamel sauce with tomato paste until smooth and spread on top of the lasagne. Bake for 45-50 minutes.

crab sauce

1 tbsp olive oil 50g crab shells 50g carrots, diced 50g celery, diced 100g onions, diced 1 garlic clove

1 fresh tomato, chopped 25g tomato paste 75ml white wine

½ bunch of thyme 200ml cream salt and pepper, to taste

• Heat olive oil in a large stockpot and add crab shells and chopped carrots, celery and onions. Cook slowly over medium heat until vegetables are lightly golden.

• Add garlic, fresh tomato and tomato paste and cook for 5 minutes. Add white wine and thyme, and cook for another 5 minutes. Add just enough water to cover the shells. Bring mixture to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes.

• Strain the mixture, discarding the solids. Return the strained liquid to the boil and cook until mixture reduces to 1 litre. Add cream, season to taste, bring to a boil and blend until smooth before use. assembly

• Plate the lasagne and ladle crab sauce over the baked béchamel top. Serve.