Crab fritters with a spiced sauce
These crunchy, aromatic fitters make great nibbles or a starter with a dip of your choice. Here they’re served as part of a Chinese-style feast. Serve with fried rice.
Ingredients
For the sauce
- 2–3 tbsp sunflower oil
- 1 star anise
- 3 tbsp roughly chopped cashew nuts
- 2 thin green chillies, finely chopped
- 5cm/2in piece fresh root ginger, peeled and finely chopped
- 2 spring onions, finely chopped
- 500ml/18fl oz hot light chicken stock
- 2–3 tbsp light soy sauce
- 2 heaped tbsp cornflour blended with 50ml/2fl oz water
- 2 tbsp finely chopped coriander
- salt and ground white pepper
For the fritters
- sunflower oil, for deep frying
- 250–300g/9–10½oz crabmeat
- 1 free-range egg
- 200g/7oz cornflour
- 1–2 thin green chillies, finely chopped
- 1 spring onion, finely chopped
- 5cm/2in piece fresh root ginger, peeled and finely chopped
- 1–2 tbsp fresh coriander, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp light soy sauce
- ½ tsp crushed black pepper
For the langoustines
- 6–8 langoustine tails, peeled and deveined
- 3 tbsp cornflour
Method
To make the sauce, heat the oil in a wok over a high heat. Add the star anise then the cashew nuts, stirring all the time so they don’t burn. As soon as the cashews are golden-brown add the chilli, ginger and spring onions and stir-fry until the onions are soft. Add the stock and bring to the boil. Add the soy sauce and season to taste.
Stir in the cornflour mixture and keep stirring until the sauce thickens and there are no lumps. (You may need to add more cornflour, if the sauce doesn’t thicken.) Stir in the coriander and pour into a serving bowl.
Heat the oil in a wok or deep-fat fryer to 150C. (CAUTION: hot oil can be dangerous. Do not leave unattended.)
To make the fritters, put the crabmeat in a bowl and mash it up as best you can, mixing it well. If using only white meat you will need to break it down completely.
Mix all the remaining ingredients together well until you have a thick batter. Drop a teaspoon of the mixture in the oil and fry until golden brown on all sides. Drain on kitchen paper and then taste to check the seasoning, add more salt and pepper to the batter as required. Fry spoonfuls of the remaining batter, in batches, being careful not to overcrowd the pan.
Increase the temperature of the oil to 200C.
Season the langoustine tails and roll them in cornflour. Drop them into the oil and fry until pink and cooked through. Drain on kitchen paper.
To serve, divide the fritters between serving plates and pour over the sauce. Top with the langoustines and serve with fried rice.
