Mary Berry’s Retro Crab Cocktail

Mary Berry’s retro crab cocktail is the answer to the popular shrimp cocktail. What makes it retro is the cocktail sauce. It uses the common condiments we can find in almost any kitchen. These are mayonnaise, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce and juice from a lemon. There isn’t much anyone can improve on these old-fashioned, iconic standbys and the sauce works well with crabmeat.

Meanwhile, I can’t think of a more delicate taste of the sea (or water) than crabmeat. I’m fortunate to be gifted with some fresh-catch crab meat from the Chesapeake Bay. What are the enduring pairings with crabmeat? In my mind, they are fennel and, perhaps, some lightly pickled red onions (with a thin veneer of white balsamic vinegar). Accordingly, I made changes to Jamie Oliver’s recipe to reflect these preferences. I substituted radishes and cucumber with thinly sliced fennel and pickled onions. I believe these changes echo the delicate nature of crabmeat. A dash of paprika in the Old Bay Seasonings on the crab gives the dish a distinct sense of place.

I take some century-old condiments that we all love and savor and anchor the crab dish in the mid-Atlantic. This is a light and refreshing side perfect with a relaxing drink in a midsummer evening. We can’t party, but that shouldn’t stop us from serving up a cocktail when we’re in the mood for one.

Print Recipe

Mary Berry's Retro Crab Cocktail

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• salad greens
• ¼ of a cucumber (I use fennel)
• 6 radishes (I use pickled red onion)
• 1 ripe avocado (optional)
• 300g cooked white crab meat
• 1 tablespoon mayonnaise (I skip this)
• 1 punnet of micro herbs (I use scallions)
• cayenne pepper or smoked paprika
• MARIE ROSE SAUCE:
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon tomato ketchup
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 lemon, plus extra for serving
• brandy, (optional)

Instructions

1

For the Marie Rose sauce, mix the mayo, ketchup and Worcestershire sauce in a bowl. Add a good squeeze of lemon juice and a splash of brandy (if using), then have a taste and season to perfection with sea salt and black pepper. (See tip for brown crab meat below.)

2

Slice the cucumber and radishes into super-thin rounds with a mandolin, if you have one (use the guard!). Halve, peel and destone the avocado (if using), then finely slice.

3

Mix the crabmeat with the mayo.

4

To serve, arrange a small pile of greens in the middle of each plate, top with a few slices of avocado, then arrange the cucumber and radish around the edge, overlapping slightly.

5

Divide the crab between the plates and drizzle over a little Marie Rose sauce. Scatter over the greens and micro herbs, then add a dusting of cayenne pepper or paprika and a wedge of lemon. Delicious served with brown bread and butter.

Notes

https://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/crab-recipes/mary-berry-s-retro-crab-cocktail/