Chefs' Recipes

Crab crostini by Leonardo's Pizza Palace

Spanner crab, avocado and toast. Is there a more Australian way to start your dinner party?

By Nick Stanton
  • 20 mins preparation
  • 15 mins cooking
  • Makes 12
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"We're so lucky to have seafood such as Queensland spanner crabs in Australia," says Nick Stanton of Leonardo's Pizza Palace. "The texture and flavour of the meat is the best, so eat lots of it."

Ingredients

  • ½ baguette, sliced diagonally into 5mm-thick slices
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
Crab mayo
  • 180 gm picked spanner crab meat, drained
  • 2 tbsp whole-egg mayonnaise
  • 3 finger limes. (about 50gm; see note), halved and pearls squeezed out, seeds discarded
Avocado purée
  • Flesh from 1 avocado
  • 2 tsp lemon juice

Method

  • 1
    Preheat oven to 180°C. Place baguette on an oven tray, drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and bake until crisp and golden brown (12-15 minutes).
  • 2
    For crab mayo, toss ingredients in a bowl to combine and season to taste. Refrigerate until required.
  • 3
    For avocado purée, blend ingredients in a small food processor, scraping down sides occasionally, until smooth and creamy. Season to taste and refrigerate until required.
  • 4
    Spread a small amount of avocado purée on crostini, spoon crab mayo on top and serve topped with freshly ground pepper

Notes

Finger limes are available from select greengrocers.