Little crab dumplings in a pea broth recipe

By Tom Norrington-Davies

Serves 4
Ready in about 1 hour
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This is an elegant dish that suggests fastidious cooking – in fact the reverse is true, making it the best kind of cooking for entertaining! The dumplings are little won-ton cases, but you could dispense with these: just spread the crab on toast (omit the egg) and serve with the soup. The dressed crab's shell is used to flavour the broth.

Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tsp ground fennel seeds
Pinch of saffron
100ml medium to sweet white wine
500g peas
Extra-virgin olive oil (optional)
For the dumplings
12 sheets 9 x 9cm won-ton pastry
2 eggs
100g dressed crab meat, plus shell

Method

1. Heat the oil in a large pan over a medium heat. Fry the garlic and onion for 5 minutes, until softened.
2. Add the fennel seeds, saffron, wine and crab shell. Stir, then add 1 litre water. Bring to a simmer and cook, covered, for at least 45 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, lay the won-ton sheets on a lined baking tray. Beat 1 egg in a small bowl until smooth, and the other into the crab meat. Season. Place a teaspoon of crab into the centre of each sheet and brush the edges with beaten egg. Fold each sheet in half diagonally to create a triangular parcel, and seal the edges. (If you like, brush more egg along the sealed edges and gather the pastry into a parcel.) Chill until ready.
4. Strain the cooked broth into a clean pan and discard the shell. Add the peas, bring back to a simmer and remove from the heat. Cover and set aside for 10 minutes. Blend until smooth. (Strain again for a really smooth soup.) Season to taste.
5. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Add the won-ton and cook for 2-3 minutes, until they rise to the surface. Remove with a slotted spoon. Divide the soup between 4 bowls and top each bowl with 3 dumplings. Add extra-virgin olive oil, if you wish.