Crab and Prawn Cakes

Preparation

• 1
  1.
• 2
  Peel the shallot and deseed the peppers, then chop both very finely. Heat a little sunflower oil in a small frying pan and sauté them both over a low heat until they are soft. Allow to cool.
• 3
  2. Cut off the crusts from the bread and make it into fine breadcrumbs.
• 4
  3. In a large bowl, place the cooked shallot and peppers. Add the cayenne pepper, black pepper, mustard and mayonnaise, and a level tablespoon of the breadcrumbs. Finely chop the coriander and parsley, add them to the bowl and mix everything together. Cut the prawns into small pieces and stir them in too. Break up the crab meat into clumps, but not too small, and gently combine it with the other ingredients. Leave to chill in the fridge for 20-30 minutes.
• 5
  4. When you are ready to cook the fishcakes, heat the oven to 180 degrees, 160 degrees fan oven. Beat the egg in a shallow bowl, sieve the flour onto one plate and place the remaining breadcrumbs onto another. Take a quarter of the mixture and make it into a flat cake using a metal ring. Dab some egg wash on one side, dip it into flour and then breadcrumbs to coat it, do the same on the other side, then pop it back into the ring to remould it. Repeat with the rest of the mixture.
• 6
  5. Melt the olive oil and butter in a frying pan and, when it is hot, quickly brown the fishcakes for a couple of minutes on one side, gently turn them over and brown on the other side. Place on an oven tray that has been lightly brushed with oil and warmed in the oven, then bake for 18-20 minutes until cooked through with a crispy coating.
• 7
  6. Serve on a bed of watercress accompanied by a wedge of lemon to squeeze over it.
• 8
  <strong>
• 9
  Notes:</strong>
• 10
  -Try the crabcakes served with tartare sauce, remoulade or a small bowl of sweet chilli sauce.
• 11
  - If you prefer you can grill them instead of baking them in the oven, or just fry them until they are cooked through.
• 12
  - I like to use both the dark and light crab meat, but if you want a more delicate flavour you could just use the light meat.