Simple summer suppers: Cornish crab, tomato, pickled shallot and basil salad

Simple but perfect for a summer lunch

This dish is essentially two ingredients– British tomatoes and Cornish crab – designed to go together in their absolute prime (Issy Croker)

This dish is essentially two ingredients, designed to go together in their absolute prime: sun-ripened English tomatoes and beautiful Cornish crab.

“With a bowl of buttered new potatoes, it is simply awesome – and it regularly features on the summer menu at Caffè Rojano,” says Paul Ainsworth. “Remember, never keep your fresh tomatoes in the fridge. Instead, store them in a cool, dry place so the flavour keeps developing.

“With their different shapes, sizes and colours, I love using heritage variety tomatoes when they are in season.”

Cornish crab, summertime tomato, pickled shallot and basil salad

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

115g brown crab meat

200g mayonnaise

Juice of ¼ lemon

350g tomatoes, sliced

3 tsp red wine vinegar

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling

100g white crab meat, flaked

10 large basil leaves

Zest of ½ lemon

Zest of ½ lime

Sea salt

Cracked black pepper

For the pickled shallot:

1 large banana shallot, sliced into thin rings

150ml water

50g caster sugar

50ml white wine vinegar

5g yellow mustard seeds

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Method:

1. Place all the pickled shallot ingredients in a bowl and combine well. Leave to pickle while you crack on with making the other salad elements.

2. Add the brown crab meat to the mayonnaise, along with the lemon juice. Whisk until smooth, then place in a small bowl and chill until needed. Cut the tomatoes into two centimetre-thick slices, keeping them chunky and funky. Place in a bowl and lightly season with the sea salt and black pepper. Add the red wine vinegar and extra virgin olive oil, then leave to marinate for 20 minutes.

3. To serve, place the tomatoes on a plate and top with the white crab meat. Add little dollops of the brown crab mayonnaise, then scatter the pickled shallots and basil leaves all over the salad. Finish with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a dusting of the zingy lemon and lime zests.

‘For The Love Of Food’ by Paul Ainsworth (Pavilion Books, £26).