Velvet swimming crab

Étrille

What it is

The shell wears a short felt that traps silt and gives the crab its name, and the eyes behind it are a startling red — Breton coasts call it crabe-cerise, English boats the devil crab, for its temper. There is barely a mouthful of meat in one, so the kilo you buy is not a dish but a stock: crushed whole, shell and all, it is what gives a soupe de poissons its depth.

In the kitchen

Colour the crushed shells hard in oil before any liquid goes in — that browning, not the flesh, is where the depth comes from. Then simmer twenty-five minutes and no longer; past that the shell releases a bitterness no sieve will take out.

Goes with

Tomato Fennel Saffron Cognac Olive oil Garlic Leek Thyme

In season alongside

Brown crab Cuttlefish Hairy crab American lobster Bonito (katsuo) Brill

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