Ingredients

• 4 carrots
• finely diced
• 2 onion
• finely diced
• 2 celery sticks
• finely diced
• 1 leek
• finely diced
• pinch salt
• 400ml/14fl oz vegetable stock (see above)
• pinch salt
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 100ml/3½fl oz olive oil
• 40ml/1½fl oz bonito vinegar (available from specialist Japanese suppliers)
• 10g/¼oz new season garlic
• blanched and chopped
• 10 wild garlic leaves
• blanched and chopped
• ½ tsp finely chopped parsley
• ½ tsp finely chopped chives
• 10g/¼oz shelled roasted hazelnuts
• chopped roughly
• pinch salt
• lemon juice
• to taste
• dash olive oil
• 240g/8½oz fresh crabmeat or king crabmeat
• 8 spears asparagus
• chopped
• 8 new season garlic cloves
• peeled and blanched until soft and tender
• 8 wild garlic leaves

Directions

• For the vegetable stock
• place all ingredients into a saucepan and cover with 400ml/14fl oz of water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Allow to cool then strain.
• For the vegetable broth
• place all ingredients into a saucepan and set aside.
• For the bonito and garlic dressing
• place all ingredients into a bowl.
• For the crab
• place a frying pan over a medium heat with a little olive oil and bring the saucepan of vegetable bonito broth to the boil.
• Put the crab in the frying pan and gently fry for about two minutes
• or until cooked.
• Place the chopped asparagus in the broth and cook for 30-40 seconds. Add the blanched garlic cloves and wild garlic leaves and set aside.
• Once the crab is cooked
• place the crab into a bowl with the bonito and garlic dressing and mix together.
• To serve
• place the asparagus
• wild garlic cloves and leaves into serving bowls with a little bonito broth. Place the dressed crab into separate bowls and serve.