Vegetables with Crabs and Fish

Ingredients

• 400 g green asparagus
• 400 g young bundle carrots
• 1 handful fresh spinach leaves
• 4 beautiful baby fennel (or spring onions)
• 1 tomato
• 2 EL Butter
• 1 black salsify
• 1 finely chopped shallot
• 0.125 l white wine
• 100 g chervil
• 0.125 l vegetable stock
• 100 g crème fraîche
• salt (pepper)
• 8 chestnuts (or other crabs about 200 g each or 32 small river crabs)
• 600 g cod fillet
• 2 EL lemon juice
• Salt
• pepper (from the mill)
• 1 l water
• 1 l white wine
• 10 crushed peppercorns
• 2 cloves
• 1 herb bundle
• 1 onion
• 1 Carrot
• 2 EL salt

Instructions

1. 1.

   Bring water, wine and spices to a boil in a large pot. Peel and slice onion and carrot into rounds, add to the stock and simmer for 20 minutes.

2. 2.

   Divide cod fillet into four portions, drizzle with lemon juice and season with salt and pepper.

3. 3.

   Rinse crabs thoroughly under running water.

4. 4.

   Touch crabs by the tail and add eight one at a time to the stock. When the water boils again, add the next batch of crabs. Cook for 6 minutes, then remove from heat and place cod pieces in, cooking for another 6 minutes.

5. 5.

   For the chervil sauce, reduce shallot, white wine and stems of chervil to half, add vegetable or veal stock. Stir in crème fraîche and simmer gently, strain. Roughly chop chervil leaves, puree with a bit of broth, stir into remaining broth and season with salt and pepper.

6. 6.

   For the vegetables, wash asparagus and trim ends. Clean carrots, rinse thoroughly under running water. Wash spinach, rough chop and dry by spinning. Wash mini fennel or spring onions, cut root base and green tips.

7. 7.

   Wash black salsify thoroughly under running water, brush and blanch in boiling salted water for about 5 minutes, lift out and drain.

8. 8.

   Blanch mini fennel or spring onions for about 3 minutes in boiling salted water, drain.

9. 9.

   Briefly steep tomato over hot water, shock, peel, quarter, core and cut into eighths again.

10. 10.

    Cook carrots and asparagus in boiling salted water for about 8 minutes, lift out, shock and drain.

11. 11.

    Thinly slice black salsify lengthwise with a vegetable peeler or knife (vegetable peeler or parsnip peeler).

12. 12.

    For serving, toss asparagus and carrots in hot butter and heat through.

13. 13.

    Arrange asparagus, carrots, prepared spinach and two eighths of tomato on plates. Place one piece of cod on the vegetables, add some river crabs and pour a little chervil sauce over them. Add mini fennel or spring onion and garnish with strips of black salsify as desired.

14. 14.

    Serve remaining river crabs alongside.