Crab, Avocado & Green Apple Salad with Lime Gel

⏱ 45 min · Serves 4

A restaurant-plate starter that tastes like sea air: sweet white crab folded through lime mayonnaise, silky avocado, matchsticks of sharp green apple and glossy droplets of lime gel. Cool, clean and quietly show-off.

Per serving: 389 kcal · 19.5g protein · 18.0g carbs · 27.5g fat

Ingredients

• 300g fresh white crab meat, picked over
• 2 tbsp brown crab meat (optional, for the mayonnaise)
• 3 tbsp good mayonnaise
• 1 lime, zest and 1 tbsp juice
• 1 tbsp finely snipped chives
• 1/2 long red chilli, deseeded and very finely diced
• 2 ripe avocados
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus more to finish
• 1 Granny Smith apple
• 1 tsp lemon juice (to stop the apple browning)
• For the lime gel: 120ml fresh lime juice (about 4 limes)
• 60ml water
• 2 tbsp caster sugar
• 1.5g agar agar powder (about 3/4 tsp)
• Pinch of fine sea salt
• To serve: 50g baby watercress or pea shoots, 1 tbsp toasted flaked almonds, flaky sea salt, black pepper

Method

1. Make the lime gel first: whisk lime juice, water, sugar, salt and agar agar in a small pan. Bring to a boil, whisking, and boil for 1 minute to activate the agar.
2. Pour into a shallow container and chill for 20 minutes until fully set to a firm jelly.
3. Scrape the set jelly into a blender and blitz until completely smooth and glossy, adding 1 tsp water if needed. Pass through a fine sieve into a piping bottle or small bowl and keep cold.
4. Mix the mayonnaise with the brown crab meat (if using), lime zest, lime juice, chives and chilli. Fold in the white crab meat gently — keep the flakes intact. Season with salt and pepper and chill.
5. Halve, stone and scoop the avocados. Mash roughly with the olive oil, a squeeze of lime and a good pinch of salt, keeping some texture.
6. Cut the apple into fine matchsticks (skin on) and toss with the lemon juice.
7. To plate: spoon avocado onto each plate and spread into a swoosh with the back of a spoon. Use a ring mould, or two spoons, to set a neat mound of crab on top.
8. Dot lime gel around the plate, pile the apple matchsticks over the crab, and finish with watercress, flaked almonds, a drizzle of olive oil, flaky salt and pepper. Serve immediately, very cold.