- 30g/1oz butter
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 400g/14oz fresh peas
- 1 litre/1¾ pints chicken stock
- ice cubes
- 20g/⅔oz black olives, diced
- 1 Little Gem lettuce, leaves shredded
- 10g basil, cut into strips, plus extra to garnish
- 10g chives, chopped
- 1 lemon, zest only
- 1 lime, zest and juice
- 160g/5½oz white crab meat
- salt and pepper
- olive oil, to taste
- 100ml/3½fl oz double cream, whipped
- For the spring pea soup, heat the butter and oil in a large saucepan, when hot fry the onions until soft. Add the peas and cook for a further 3-4 minutes.
- Bring the stock to the boil then pour it over the peas and onions. Return to the boil and cook for a further 3-4 minutes, or until the peas are tender.
- Drain the peas, reserving a little of the cooking stock. Blend the peas and cooked onions in a food processor with a little of the cooking stock.
- Pass through a sieve and set aside to cool in a bowl set over ice to retain the green colour.
- For the garnish, mix the olives, Little Gem lettuce, basil, chives, lemon zest, lime juice and zest with the crab meat, then season with salt and pepper. Add a little olive oil, to taste. Set aside.
- To serve, place the dressed crab in rings in the centre of shallow bowls. Pour the pea soup around and add a quenelle of double cream on top. Drizzle over a little extra olive oil and season the cream with a little black pepper.