Ingredients
| PEA & HERB SOUP | |
| 3 leeks, washed, finely sliced | |
| light olive oil | |
| 1.25 litres vege stock | |
| 750g frozen peas | |
| 100g basil | |
| 2 bunches dill | |
| 300g spinach, blanched | |
| 2 bunches chives | |
| HORSERADISH CREAM | |
| 2 tablespoons grated horseradish | |
| 1 cup crème fraîche | |
| CRAYFISH WITH LEMON DRESSING | |
| 1-2 crayfish tails | |
| juice of 1 lemon | |
| 2 tablespoons olive oil | |
| 1 tablespoon chives, chopped |
This is a great soup to serve with chilled seafood – you could do it with a chopped prawn cocktail salad in the middle or as here with crayfish which allows one crayfish to serve several people. The soup can easily be done 1-2 days prior, so it’s a great starter and is something very aromatic for spring.
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Instructions
| 1. | PEA & HERB SOUP |
| 2. | Gently cook the leeks in a little oil until soft (about 20 minutes) but don’t let them colour. |
| 3. | When soft, add the stock and bring to a simmer. |
| 4. | Add a generous amount of salt (enough so that the soup is almost fully seasoned). |
| 5. | Add the peas, bring back to a simmer and simmer until the peas are cooked, 2-3 minutes. |
| 6. | Pour through a strainer, reserving the stock. |
| 7. | Purée the solids, adding some of the stock to get the correct consistency (you will not need all the liquid now but keep it as you may use it later). |
| 8. | Stand a bowl in a bed of ice and pass the soup through a fine sieve into the bowl – this is very important to avoid discolouration. |
| 9. | When cool, put back in the blender (you should have about 3 litres of soup). |
| 10. | Add the basil, dill, spinach and chives. Purée again until smooth. |
| 11. | Check the seasoning, adding more salt if needed. |
| 12. | If you prefer a thinner soup, add some more cold stock when blending, or if it thickens prior to serving, quickly whisk through some more stock to thin it. |
| 13. | HORSERADISH CREAM |
| 14. | Mix the horseradish and crème fraîche thoroughly in a bowl and season well with salt and pepper. Reserve until needed. |
| 15. | CRAYFISH WITH LEMON DRESSING |
| 16. | Blanch the crayfish tails for 1 minute, refresh in iced water and remove the shell. |
| 17. | Bring a saucepan of salted water to the boil. |
| 18. | Push a skewer through the crayfish to keep it straight while cooking (this ensures you can get clean slices). |
| 19. | Simmer the crayfish for 4 minutes until firm, then refresh in iced water. Slice neatly. |
| 20. | Mix the lemon juice and olive oil and dress the crayfish slices. |
| 21. | Sprinkle with a little salt and the chives. Put slices of crayfish into each bowl. |
| 22. | Pour the chilled soup into the bowl and finish with a dollop of horseradish cream. |
Recipes & food styling Casey McDonald / Photography Florence Charvin