Ready Time: 50 mins
Preparation Time: 25 mins
Cooking Time: 25 mins
Serves: 4-6
Julian Vasseur
Founder / Head Chef
The Pop Up Cooking School
thepopupcookingschool.com.au
chef@thepopupcookingschool.com.au
"Julian grew up in the French countryside of Alsace, attending one of France’s best culinary schools and worked for many years in Switzerland, before venturing internationally to USA and Australia, cooking for many fine restaurants and as a private chef. In recent years, he has realised his passion for teaching cooking. He recognises the importance of sustaining a healthy lifestyle and environment by cooking at home, which is becoming a lost tradition in today’s food scene."
Ingredients
- 4 small raw blue swimmer crabs
- 12 large green prawns, left whole
- 12 small black mussels, cleaned and de- beared
- 1 litre fish stock
- 1 teaspoon saffron threads
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 onion , finely choopped
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 400g can diced tomatoes
- 2 cups Arborio rice or Spanish rice
- 300g whole pipis, purged
- 1/2 cup frozen peas
- 1 small roasted red capsicum, sliced
- 1 lemon, cut into wedges
{tab=Directions}
- Remove flap from the undersides of crabs then flip crab over. Place your thumb under the shell between the two back legs and slowly pull the shell away form the body. Discard. Remove the feather like gills and front feelers and discard. Carefully rinse the crab if needed - do not put under running water. Using a sharp knife cut the body in half. Then cut between the smaller legs to make 4 pieces. Crack the large nippers with crab crackers; this will help the heat get into the shell.
- Place stock and saffron in a saucepan and heat gently to infuse. Cover and keep warm.
- Heat half the oil in frypan on PANFRY setting. Cook whole prawns until just cooked through; remove and set aside. Add crabs and cook 5 minutes, or until just changing colour. Remove and set aside with prawns.
- Add remaining oil and cook onions and garlic until softened; add paprika and cook a further 30 seconds.
- Stir in tomatoes and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add rice and stir until well coated. Pour in 3/4 cup of the stock and stir to combine. Reduce heat to SIMMER setting and cook, covered, for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes check rice, add a little more stock if the rice looks too dry.
- Arrange raw seafood, peas, roasted capsicum, over rice and cook, covered a further 5 minutes or until the seafood is cooked and the rice is tender. Scatter over lemon wedges.
- Turn heat off and keep covered for 5 minutes before serving.