Crab

This is such a special dish and a good reason to keep a packet of frozen spanner crab meat ready in case guests arrive unexpectedly for dinner.

While crab and fish sounds like a rich combination, there's plenty of fresh flavour going on here to balance things out.

On the eve of opening her new hopper restaurant, Lankan Filling Station, Sydney chef O Tama Carey visits Sri Lanka, the land of her heritage, for inspiration.

All the good stuff in one bowl.

"This dish has been a mainstay since Liberté opened," says chef Amy Hamilton. "It's pure party food; fun, and deceptively easy."

When it comes to crab, it's often best to keep things simple. Here that means a flavoured oil, some breadcrumbs and herbs as the background notes.