Yabbies with Goat's Cheese Gnocchi
Yabbies are an Australian inland freshwater crayfish, and when I was 5, I lived in the Australian countryside. My friend had a large farm with a small river running through it. Here we fished for yabbies using lines with cheese attached. We caught hundreds, but, much to my horror, my mother soon put the bucket full of yabbies into a pot of boiling water. These days few of us are lucky enough to catch yabbies like this and they have now become more of a luxury food. The flesh of yabbies is absolutely delicious, being between the flavour of a prawn and lobster.
Yabbies are at their best in spring and autumn when the weather is kind and the water is neither too hot nor too cold. In summer they breed and in winter they bury themselves away from the chill. When uncooked they range from grey to soft brown. Once cooked they turn a warm red that feels almost celebratory. They have two front claws and a cluster of small legs that are rarely worth chasing. The value lies in the tail and claw meat which is tender and beautifully mild.
To prepare yabbies, twist off the heads and loosen the shell underneath the body with your fingers or a small knife. Peel it away with the claws still attached. Crack the claws and remove the sweet meat inside. The shells can be kept for a stock or used as the base of a soup which makes full use of their gentle flavour.
Cook: 10-15 minutes
Ingredients
Yabbies
- 24 yabbies or crayfish, cooked or briefly cooked in boiling water
Gnochi
- 400g potato gnocchi (fresh or vacuumed packed)
- 150g soft goats cheese
- 100ml double cream (in Australia fresh cream)
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 2 tbsp sage leaves
- 100g rocket leaves
- 4 medium plum tomatoes, diced
Method
- Gnochi:Bring a large saucepan of water with a pinch of salt and a little olive oil to the boil. Place the gnocchi in it and reduce it to a strong simmer as soon as the gnocchi floats to the top remove it from the water and drain. Refresh the gnocchi in a bowl with water and ice, this is to stop it cooking further.
- Sauce:In a large saucepan pour in the double cream and add the garlic, bring it to a strong simmer then whisk in the goats cheese until it has melted through the cream. Drain the gnocchi and add it and the yabbies and sage to cream and heat it through so that the gnocchi and yabbies are hot. Carefully mix in the tomatoes. Serve hot.
- To Serve:Toss the rocket with a little olive oil and seasoning, distribute it among 4 bowls. Distribute gnocchi among the bowls and serve.
Recipe
