Ingredients

• 1 live brown crab
• about 1kg/2lb 4oz
• placed in the freezer an hour before cooking
• 2 fennel bulbs
• trimmed and halved
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• light rapeseed oil
• for cooking
• 4 x 200g/7oz filleted sea bass portions
• 1 orange
• peel and pith removed
• segmented and diced
• olive oil
• to drizzle
• 2 eggs
• yolks only
• 1 lemon
• zest
• finely grated
• and juice
• 300ml/11fl oz light olive oil
• 2 tbsp chopped tarragon
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 50ml/2fl oz double cream
• 125ml/4fl oz crab stock

Directions

• Bring a large pan of water to the boil (big enough to submerge the crab).
• Season the water liberally with sea salt to make it as salty as seawater. When the water comes to a rolling boil
• lower the crab into it and cook for 15 minutes.
• Carefully lift the crab out of the water
• place on to a board and leave until cool enough to handle.
• Prepare and extract the meat from the crab. (You can save the shells to make stock for future use).
• Blend the brown crab meat in a food processor until smooth and save for the crab mayonnaise.
• Pick through the white meat removing any shell and cartilage. Set aside in the fridge until needed.
• Preheat the oven to 200C/375F/Gas 6.
• Cut each fennel half into 6 or 8 wedges.
• Heat a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat and add a drizzle of rapeseed oil. When hot
• add the fennel wedges and cook for two minutes on each side until golden-brown.
• Season with salt and pepper and transfer the fennel to an oven tray and bake in the oven for four minutes. Then set aside and keep warm.
• Meanwhile
• heat an ovenproof non-stick frying pan and add a drizzle of rapeseed oil. When hot
• place the sea bass
• skin side down
• in the pan and season with salt.
• Cook until the skin starts to turn golden-brown
• then transfer the pan to the oven to cook for four minutes.
• When ready
• take out the fennel and keep warm.
• Remove the fish from the oven and flip the sea bass fillets over – they will finish cooking in the heat of the pan.
• For the mayonnaise
• whisk the egg yolks
• lemon zest and juice in a bowl and slowly add the oil drop by drop to begin with
• then in a steady stream
• whisking constantly
• until it has all been incorporated.
• In a mixing bowl
• mix half of the mayonnaise with the white crab meat
• two tablespoons of brown meat
• the chopped tarragon and salt and pepper to taste. Keep in the fridge until needed.
• For the sauce
• whisk the double cream into rest of the mayonnaise and thin down with the crab stock. Keep cool until serving then just warm through.
• To serve
• spoon the crab mayonnaise into the centre of four warmed plates
• top with the fish and place the fennel alongside. Spoon the crab sauce around the fish. Finish with the orange pieces and a drizzle of olive oil. Serve at once.