- 4 carrots, finely diced
- 2 onion, finely diced
- 2 celery sticks, finely diced
- 1 leek, finely diced
- pinch salt
- 400ml/14fl oz vegetable stock (see above)
- pinch salt
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 100ml/3½fl oz olive oil
- 40ml/1½fl oz bonito vinegar (available from specialist Japanese suppliers)
- 10g/¼oz new season garlic, blanched and chopped
- 10 wild garlic leaves, blanched and chopped
- ½ tsp finely chopped parsley
- ½ tsp finely chopped chives
- 10g/¼oz shelled roasted hazelnuts, chopped roughly
- pinch salt
- lemon juice, to taste
- dash olive oil
- 240g/8½oz fresh crabmeat or king crabmeat
- 8 spears asparagus, chopped
- 8 new season garlic cloves, peeled and blanched until soft and tender
- 8 wild garlic leaves
- For the vegetable stock, place all ingredients into a saucepan and cover with 400ml/14fl oz of water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Allow to cool then strain.
- For the vegetable broth, place all ingredients into a saucepan and set aside.
- For the bonito and garlic dressing, place all ingredients into a bowl.
- For the crab, place a frying pan over a medium heat with a little olive oil and bring the saucepan of vegetable bonito broth to the boil.
- Put the crab in the frying pan and gently fry for about two minutes, or until cooked.
- Place the chopped asparagus in the broth and cook for 30-40 seconds. Add the blanched garlic cloves and wild garlic leaves and set aside.
- Once the crab is cooked, place the crab into a bowl with the bonito and garlic dressing and mix together.
- To serve, place the asparagus, wild garlic cloves and leaves into serving bowls with a little bonito broth. Place the dressed crab into separate bowls and serve.