Crab and Seashore Vegetable Tart Recipe

For a light dinner, dinner party (opens in new tab) starter or lovely lunch dish, try this delicious crab recipe today and you'll not be disappointed.

HOW TO MAKE CRAB AND SEASHORE VEGETABLE TART

Ingredients

• 250-300g ready made, all-butter puff pastry
• Plain flour, for dusting
• 200ml fish stock
• 60ml white vermouth
• 250ml double cream
• 150g freshly picked white crab meat
• 1tbsp brown crab meat (optional)
• Handful of seashore vegetables (sea beet, sea purslane, sea aster, samphire etc), washed, trimmed and roughly chopped
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

You will need:

• 4 individual tart tins (10cm diameter by 2-3cm depth)

Method

1. Roll out the pastry on a floured table to about 2mm thick. Use to line the four individual tart tins. Using your thumb and forefinger, firm the pastry up to - and a little over - the top of the tins. Prick the pastry all over with a fork, then line the tarts with greaseproof paper or foil and fill with baking beans. Refrigerate for 1 hour
2. Preheat the oven to 180C/gas mark 4. Bake the cases for 20 minutes, then remove the baking beans and paper and return to the oven for 5 minutes until lightly golden. Remove from the tins and leave on a wire rack to cool
3. Meantime, simmer the fish stock and vermouth in a pan until reduced to about a tablespoon in volume. Add the double cream and continue simmering until it has thickened and reduced by half. Add the brown crab meat, if using, and blend with a hand blender or in a liquidiser until smooth
4. Add the seashore vegetables to a pan of boiling water and cook for a minute, so they are still a little firm to bite. Drain. Add to the sauce with the crabmeat, season to taste and heat gently to warm through
5. Return the tart cases to the oven for a minute or two to warm. Remove from the oven and spoon the crab mixture into the cases. Flash under a hot grill until lightly coloured to finish, or serve as they are