Potted crab

Serves 4-6

(Jason Lowe)

If you buy a live crab and cook it yourself, or a freshly-cooked crab so that you can use the shells to make a bisque or a stock for a risotto, then this dish becomes part of a great-value meal.

Weigh the meat once you have picked it and if you have more than the recipe, just bulk up the rest of the ingredients or make a delicious crab sandwich.

1 large shallot, peeled and finely chopped
3tbsp sherry
250g brown crab meat
80g butter, melted
The juice of half a lemon
A good pinch of cayenne pepper
A good pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
Salt
200g white crab meat
3tbsp mayonnaise

Simmer the shallots in the sherry until the sherry has evaporated, then mix in the brown crab meat, butter, lemon juice and spices, cook for 10 minutes then leave to cool.

When cold, mix in the mayonnaise and white crab meat, season to taste and serve in pots with hot buttered toast.