English mustard powder is a seasoning and cooking condiment made from ground mustard seeds, turmeric and flour. It has a strong, sharp taste that is pungent rather than hot. You can also buy it ready prepared as a paste in a jar. I use English mustard to flavour salad dressings, marinades, basting sauces and any time a little oomph is required. It’s a multi-purpose Pantry Pal.
Ingredients
- 4 crayfish or lobster
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- sunflower oil
- 4 lemons, cut into wedges
- 10 radishes, sliced
- 3 spring onions, chopped
- 2 heads of baby cos lettuce, leaves separated and washed
- 2 avocadoes, sliced
- 1 papaya, sliced
- 2 tblsp chopped fresh coriander or micro salad leaves, to garnish
- 50 ml (1/4 cup) extra virgin olive oil
- 50 ml (1/4 cup) sunflower oil
- 2 tblsp dry white wine
- 2 tblsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- 1/2 tsp caster sugar
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tsp curry powder
- 1 tsp english mustard powder
- juice of 1/2 lemon
- 225 g butter, softened
- 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
- coarse sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
- To make the butter, dissolve the curry powder and mustard powder in the lemon juice. Add the spice mixture to the softened butter along with the crushed garlic and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Scoop the butter onto a sheet of parchment paper. Shape into a log and wrap up in the paper like a Christmas cracker, tying the ends with string. Place in the fridge or even the freezer to slice off discs whenever needed.
- Toss all the salad ingredients together except the coriander or micro salad.
- Put all the salad dressing ingredients in a jam jar with a lid and give it a good shake. Dress the salad just before serving.
- To cook the crayfish, place each crayfish on a board, belly down, tail outstretched. Rest a large, very sharp knife, down the length of the back from the small horn between the eyes. Press down or hit the knife with a mallet to split the shell neatly, then cut through the tail. Scrape out and discard the entrails. Rinse the crayfish and pat them dry.
- Season the crayfish with salt and pepper and brush with some melted curried citrus butter. Place the crayfish flesh side down on a medium-hot grill just long enough to lightly brown the meat. Lightly oil the lemon wedges and grill until they’re just charred.
- Turn the fish, baste liberally with melted curried citrus butter and cook for a further 15–20 minutes, until the flesh is opaque and pulls away easily from the shell.
- Serve the crayfish with curried citrus butter, charred lemon wedges and dressed salad garnished with coriander or micro salad leaves.
