Chilled Pea Soup with Crab Salad by Manu Feildel

Ingredients

50mL olive oil
1 small onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 sprigs marjoram
650g fresh or frozen peas
500mL pouring cream
175g baby spinach leaves, stalks removed
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Micro herbs or chervil sprigs (optional), to serve

Crab salad with preserved lemon vinaigrette:

30mL champagne vinegar
100mL extra virgin olive oil
1 preserved lemon quarter, rinsed, flesh removed and rind finely chopped
1 eschalot, finely chopped
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
180g cooked crab meat, picked over to remove any shell

Black olive oil (optional):

250g pitted Kalamata olives
200mL olive oil

Method

To make the black olive oil (if using), pre-heat the oven to 60 C. Place the olives on a baking tray and bake for 8 hours or overnight, if time permits, until the olives are firm and dry. Blend the olives and olive oil in a blender until a smooth puree forms. Press the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, discarding the solids. Cover with plastic film and refrigerate until needed. (Makes about 200mL.)

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, for 5–6 minutes or until it has softened but not coloured. Add the garlic and marjoram, then cook for 2 minutes, stirring. Add the peas and cook, covered and stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until they begin to soften. Add the cream and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to low and cook, covered, for 3-4 minutes or until the peas are tender. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the spinach. Cover and leave to stand for 1-2 minutes or until the spinach has wilted.

Puree the soup in a blender until smooth. Press the soup through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl, then season to taste with salt and pepper and set aside to cool. Cover and chill in the fridge.

To make the crab salad, place the vinegar and olive oil in a bowl and whisk to combine well. Add the preserved lemon and eschalot and season to taste with salt and pepper. Add the crab meat and toss gently to combine.

Divide the chilled soup among shallow bowls, then place a generous mound of the crab salad in the centre and scatter with micro herbs or chervil sprigs, if desired. Drizzle the black olive oil around the soup (if using), then serve immediately.

BACKGROUND:

Soup de Petit-Pois Froide et Sa Salade de Crabe, D'Huile D' Olive Noir.

Pea soup may be very English, but here I serve it chilled, which also makes it French. I added the black olive oil and a lemony crab salad to give it my own personal touch. This soup is great served cold as a refreshing Spring or Summer starter.

Credits: Manu's French Bistro

Photo Credits: Chris Chen