Recipe from the Ocean Wise Cookbook 2
Substitutions: If you can’t find shiro, or white soy sauce, tamari (which is a light soy sauce) will work.
Cultured Cream:
Combine the cream and buttermilk in a jar and cover with muslin or cheese cloth. Let stand at room temperature 24 hours. Reserve.
Flower Broth:
Lightly puree the tomatoes in a food processor or blender and season with salt. Hang the tomatoes overnight along with nasturtium leaves in muslin or cheese cloth in the fridge. Place a container beneath the muslin with the nasturtium flowers in it to collect the water for 24 hours. Strain the tomato water through muslin or cheese cloth and reserve.
Ocean Wise Shellfish:
Steam the mussels just until shells open. Cool. Peel the shrimp and keep them raw on ice. In a non-reactive bowl (i.e., not stainless steel), combine the olive oil, lime juice, onion, white wine vinegar, bay leaf and chili and season with salt. Scald the liquid. Pour half of the liquid over the mussels and half over the shrimp and let sit overnight.
Place the crab meat in a non-reactive bowl and dress with the mascarpone, chamomile tea, elderflower cordial, lemon zest, chervil and tarragon. Season with white soy and white pepper. Chill.
Garnish:
- 1 cup (250 mL) total of edible flowers and chervil such as the following:
- Marigolds
- Nasturtium flowers
- Chervil
To Serve:
Using 2 tablespoons, form the crab mixture into 6 quenelles (elegant oval dumplings) and place 1 quenelle per person in a dinner bowl. Arrange 3 mussels and 3 shrimp per person around the crab. Garnish the dish with mixed flowers and chervil. At the last moment, pour just enough of the flower broth into the bowl to cover the bottom. Finish the dish with 1–2 Tbsp (15–30 mL) of seasoned cultured cream.
