Instructions: Scrape out the brown and white meat from the crabs and put to one side.

Smash the shell into bits cut the body into four then transfer to a saucepan with 2 litres of water and gently bubble for about half an hour to make a stock.

Sieve into a clean pan discard the crab debris and bubble until the stock is reduced to about 750ml .

Slice the coriander roots from the stems and finely chop then fry with the onion. celery green pepper and garlic in the butter and olive oil until soft.

Season with the salts and pepper.

Add the crab stock potatoes sweetcorn and dark crab meat and simmer until the potatoes are tender.

Next in a food processor. blend the potatoes with about half of the contents of the pan (except the corncob chunks) then return to the pan.

Add the milk tabasco ham and chunks of crawfish or lobster and simmer for 5 minutes.

Stir in the white crab meat towards the end then the coriander leaves and serve with a few more leaves on top.

If you have a whole lobster use the white claw meat with the white crab meat. and use the body (but not the tail; save this to add later) with the crab shells to make the stock. For suppliers see cajun suppliers.

Serves 4

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