River Cottage

Brown crab is a staple in the Hebrides. Hugh spices it up with a chilli dressing

You might think of crabmeat as a very delicate thing, not suited to the rough and tumble of vinegar, mustard, chilli and other devilling ingredients - but it has a robust depth that can easily hold its own in a dish like this.

• 100ml sherry
• 2 tbsp cider vinegar
• 1½ tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 heaped tsp redcurrant jelly
• 1 heaped tsp English mustard
• 200ml double cream
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper or a generous shake of Tabasco sauce
• 2 cooked medium brown crabs (about 1-1.5kg), brown and white meat picked out
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Hot buttered toast, to serve

How to make devilled brown crab on toast

1. Put a medium pan over a medium heat.

2. Pour in the sherry and bring to the boil for a few seconds.

3. Add the vinegar and Worcestershire sauce and let them come to the boil too.

4. Stir in the redcurrant jelly, mustard and cayenne pepper or Tabasco.

5. Add the cream and bring to a simmer. Cook for 2 minutes or until the sauce just starts to thicken.

6. Remove from the heat.

7. Fold the crabmeat into the sauce.

8. Season well with black pepper and serve piled on to toast.

Tip: A scaled-down version of this makes an excellent canapé: put generous teaspoonfuls of the hot (or cold) saucy crab on small squares of toast or little crostini and serve with drinks.