Cockles and crab

Rick Stein and Balong Nguyen enjoyed this dish after foraging for cockles on Elizabeth Island, settling by the water to grill their catch. Balong prepared a tasty Vietnamese dressing to complement the cockles.

Cockles and crab. Credit: Rick Stein's Australia

• serves

  4

• prep

  30 minutes

• cook

  20 minutes

• difficulty

  Mid

Ingredients

For the crabs and noodles

• 4 blue swimmer crabs
• 2 small packets glass noodles
• 1 large brown onion, cut into wedges
• 1 small piece fresh ginger, diced
• 2–3 cloves garlic, diced
• 2–3 red chillies, sliced (for garnish)
• 2–3 tbsp fish sauce (to taste)
• White sugar (to taste)
• Vegetable or canola oil (for frying)
• 2–3 sprigs coriander, roughly chopped (for garnish)
• crushed roasted peanuts, to garnish (optional)
• Fresh cockles, barbecued

For the crack sauce (dipping sauce)

• 3–4 sprigs fresh coriander, roughly chopped
• 2–3 red chillies, cut into thirds
• 2–3 cloves garlic, cut into thirds
• Similar-sized chunk of fresh ginger, cut into chunks
• 2 tbsp fish sauce
• 2 tbsp white sugar
• Juice of 1 lemon (seeds removed)

For the scallion oil

• ½ bunch spring onions (scallions), cut into 5 mm pieces
• ½ tsp salt
• Hot vegetable or canola oil (enough to wilt onions)

Instructions

1. Prepare the crack sauce: Add coriander, chillies, garlic, and ginger to a small blender. Add fish sauce, sugar, and lemon juice. Blend briefly until chunky. Alternatively, pound together in a mortar and pestle. Set aside for serving with seafood.
2. Prepare the scallion oil: Place the chopped spring onions in a small bowl. Add salt and massage gently with your hands. Heat oil until hot (but not smoking) and carefully pour over the onions to wilt them. Set aside as a topping.
3. For the noodles and crabs: Soak glass noodles in cold water for 10–15 minutes. Drain just before using. Clean the crabs by removing the carapace and scooping out the roe into a bowl (for sauce). Reserve 1–2 carapaces for presentation if desired. Cut each crab into quarters for cooking.
4. Heat a generous amount of oil in a wok over high heat. Add onion, ginger, chilli and garlic and stir-fry until fragrant.
5. Add the crab pieces and reserved carapaces. Cover and cook for a few minutes, adding a splash of water to help steam the crab if needed.
6. Add the drained glass noodles and crab roe to the wok. Add a little water to keep it moist and stir or shake the wok to mix. Cook until noodles are soft and coated.
7. Season with fish sauce and sugar to taste.
8. To Serve: Transfer the crab and noodle mixture to a large serving dish. Garnish with coriander and fresh chilli. Serve alongside the crack sauce for dipping and a spoonful of scallion oil on top of each crab or cockle if serving. Add crushed roasted peanuts for extra texture, if desired.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.