Skate Knobs with Crab Potatoes & Beurre Blance

I got the recipe for the crab potatoes from Santino Busciglio the chef at Mennula in Charlotte Street. The restaurant btw is highly recommended. They serve very simple but delicious Sicilian food that hits all the buttons as far as I am concerned.

Ingredients (for a starter for 4 triple everything for a main):

1. 300 gr mealy potatoes e.g. King Edwards;
2. Fresh preferably white crab meat;
3. 2 spring onions;
4. 3 tbsp best quality EVOO;
5. 1 tbsp white wine balsamic;
6. S&P to taste;
7. 1 large skate knob per person;
8. Beurre Blanc.

Instructions:

• Bake the potatoes in their skins on a bed of coarse sea salt at about 160 to 180 depending on their size;
• When potatoes are cooked through slice the potato in half and scoop out the flesh into a bowl;
• Crush the potatoes with a fork (crush don’t mash you want the texture of potato) and the olive oil, sweet white balsamic vinegar, chopped spring onions, season with salt and finally the fresh crab meat. Do not over mix as it will turn in to crab glue.
• Fry skate knobs in oil on a hot pan for about 1 min per side;
• Form crab potatoes into a circular pile by pressing them through cake cutters, add skate knob on top, add about a table spoon of the beurre blance. Serve immediately.

Dressed Crab on Mustard Butter Toast

Ingredients:
1. 1 garlic clove;
2. 1 shallot;
3. 1 medium tomato, peeled, seeded, cut into chunks;
4. 5 large basil leaves;
5. 3 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil;
6. 2 tbsp sherry vinegar;
7. salt and fresh ground pepper;
8. 1 pound crab;
9. Mango slices;
10. Whole grain toast.

Combine garlic, shallot, tomato, basil, oil and vinegar in blender. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Add enough dressing to crab to moisten it to the desired level. This has to be don to taste.

Mustard butter

Ingredients:
1. Shallot;
2. Red vine vinegar;
3. Tarragon;
4. Butter;
5. Grainy Dijon Mustard.

Combine shallot, red wine vinegar and tarragon in a pan over medium heat. Stir mixture until the shallot moist and transparent and almost all the vinegar has evaporated. Mix in butter and grainy mustard. Leave combination to cool.

To serve butter the whole grain toast with mustard butter and heap dressed crab so that it generously covers the toast. Add slice of Mango on top.