Double-baked crab soufflé recipe by Montrachet (2024)

• 40 gm butter, diced, plus extra for greasing
• 50 gm plain flour, plus extra for dusting (1/3 cup)
• 320 ml warm milk
• 120 gm Comté, finely grated
• 4 eggs, separated, plus 1 extra eggwhite
• 200 gm cooked crab meat, well drained
• Finely chopped chives, to serve

• 1 small (200 gm) cooked blue swimmer crab, cleaned, gills and tail discarded, top shell reserved
• 300 gm uncooked prawns, peeled, deveined, shells reserved
• 300 gm white-flesh fish (such as bream), cleaned, filleted, bones reserved (1 small)
• 2 tbsp light olive oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 100 ml Pernod or other pastis
• Pinch of saffron threads
• 200 gm canned chopped tomatoes
• 10 gm butter
• 10 gm plain flour (about 3 tsp)
• 125 ml thickened cream (½ cup)

Main

• 1

  Preheat oven to 150C. Butter and lightly flour six 180ml ovenproof ramekins.

• 2

  Melt butter in a small saucepan over low heat, add flour and stir continuously until pale and combined (1-2 minutes). Add 80ml milk, stirring continuously until thick and smooth (30 seconds to 1 minute), then add remaining milk in 3 batches, stirring well between additions until smooth. Remove from heat, stir in cheese, then yolks and crab meat, and season to taste. Whisk eggwhites in an electric mixer to stiff peaks (3-5 minutes), fold into crab mixture in 3 batches, then divide among ramekins and place in a deep roasting pan lined with paper towels. Fill pan with hot water to halfway up sides of ramekins and bake until light golden and an inserted skewer withdraws clean (35-45 minutes). Remove ramekins from water bath and set aside to cool (1-1½ hours), then turn soufflés out onto a tray lined with baking paper, cover and, if time allows, refrigerate to chill (this makes them less likely to crack).

• 3

  For bisque, crack crab legs and combine with prawn shells and fish bones. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large saucepan over medium heat, then sauté a third each of onion and garlic until translucent (3-5 minutes). Add crab legs, shells and bones, stir until shells turn deep red (3-4 minutes), then add 750ml water and simmer until well flavoured (25-30 minutes). Cover and set aside. Meanwhile, stir remaining oil, onion and garlic in a separate saucepan over medium heat until translucent (3-5 minutes). Increase heat to medium-high, then add pastis and saffron and reduce by a third (2-3 minutes). Add seafood, tomatoes and 750ml water, and simmer until well flavoured (30 minutes). Strain shell stock into seafood pan and simmer until infused (30 minutes). Blend with a hand-held blender, then pass through a fine sieve, pushing to extract all the liquid. Return to pan, bring to the boil and cook until reduced by half (20-25 minutes). Mix butter and flour in a bowl until smooth to form a beurre manié, add to pan and whisk to combine, then add cream and simmer until slightly thickened (8-10 minutes).

• 4

  Preheat oven to 220C or 200C fan-forced. Place soufflés in ovenproof bowls or gratin dishes and bake until puffed and light golden (8-10 minutes). Pour 80ml bisque around each soufflé and return to oven until soufflés are golden brown and bisque is hot (4-5 minutes). Scatter with chives and serve.