Crab ballotine with crab bouillon

krabbe

Served with creamed spinach, salted cucumber, kohlrabi and smoked seaweed – decorated with red sorrel

greenland today November 2016

This semi-cold dish is presented by Heine Knudsen, Sous Chef in the kitchen at Hotel Arctic, Ilulissat, which is famous beyond Greenland’s borders for its fabulous location, for its fine service and for its excellent gourmet kitchen.

Ingredients
3 crab sides = 12-16 legs
3 onions
2 carrots
¼ celeriac
5 cloves of garlic
1 leek
¼ bunch of thyme
3 cloves of fermented garlic 
or 1 tsp purée
1 tsp whole peppercorns
4 bay leaves
Parsley and dill stems, if you have them

Decoration
Thinly sliced kohlrabi
Smoked seaweed in paper-thin slices
Red sorrel

Crab ballotine
Pull the crab meat from the claws, put into a small bowl and salt lightly.

Place a layer of cling film on the table; place the crab meat on the film in the shape of a sausage. Roll the film tightly around the crab, close each end tightly with a twist and place in the fridge for ½ hour.

Slice and remove the film before serving.

kokSous Chef, Heine Knudsen

Bouillon
Fry the crab shells hard in a pan in a little oil until the surface is golden and slightly burned.

Put the shells into a saucepan, cover with water, bring to the boil and skim off any scum. Halve the onions, place them on a pan and sear the cut side. Add these to the stock together with carrots, garlic, leeks, celeriac, thyme, parsley and dill stalks, bay leaves, peppercorns and fermented garlic – or a little tomato paste (roasted/fried off).

Creamed spinach
Blanche the spinach in salted water (dip in boiling water and then move immediately into ice water). Add a little bicarbonate of soda to the water to maintain colour. Squeeze the water out of the spinach and blend the spinach until it is creamy. Season with a little salt.

This dish is primarily for festive occasions, because there is some food waste if you cannot use the rest of the vegetables, creamed spinach and cucumber.

Cucumber and kohlrabi
Scoop out balls with a Parisienne scoop. Alternatively, cut thin strips with a peeler and roll them up to serve.

Salt lightly to draw out moisture before serving.

Hotel Arctic

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