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Dill-poached shellfish with brown butter mayonnaise

Adam Liaw
Adam Liaw

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Four kinds of seafood combine to make this a memorable feast.
Four kinds of seafood combine to make this a memorable feast.William Meppem

Of course it's easier to buy your shellfish pre-cooked, but the improvement in flavour that comes with cooking it yourself is worth the extra effort, especially at Christmas.

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Ingredients

  • 1 mud crab, green and preferably live

  • 2 small crayfish, green and preferably live

  • 1kg prawns, green

  • 1kg pot-ready mussels

  • 2 tbsp salt

  • 2 tbsp sugar

  • 2 lemons, halved

  • 1 bunch dill, roughly torn

  • 200ml white wine

  • lemon wedges, to serve

  • crusty bread, to serve

Brown butter mayonnaise

  • 150g butter

  • 150ml grapeseed oil

  • 2 egg yolks

  • 2 tbsp lemon juice

  • pinch of salt

  •  

Method

  1. To make the brown butter mayonnaise, heat the butter over medium heat until browned, then add grapeseed oil.

    In a small food processor mix the egg yolks, lemon juice and salt, then gradually add the oil and butter mixture to create a thick mayonnaise. Set aside.

    Prepare the crab and crayfish by placing in the freezer for about 20 minutes to put them to sleep, then spiking between the eyes with a sharp knife or metal skewer. Clean the crab and separate into 4 pieces, and divide the crayfish in half lengthways. Remove the intestinal tract from the crayfish. (You can keep the crab and crayfish whole if you wish, but I find that breaking them up makes this dish easier to share.)

    Remove the intestinal tract from the prawns, keeping the shells intact. Brush the mussels if necessary.

    Bring about 5 litres of water to a simmer in a large pot and add the salt, sugar, lemons, dill and white wine. Add the crab and crayfish and simmer for about 10 minutes. Add the prawns and simmer for a further 2 minutes, then add mussels for a final 2 minutes, just until the shells open. Remove all the shellfish from the pot and serve either warm or chilled with the mayonnaise, lemon wedges and crusty bread.

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Adam LiawAdam Liaw is a cookbook author and food writer, co-host of Good Food Kitchen and former MasterChef winner.

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Original URL: https://www.watoday.com.au/goodfood/recipes/dill-poached-shellfish-with-brown-butter-mayonnaise-20151208-47hj2.html