Some recipes are so beautifully balanced they need very little, if any, improvement. This elegant spanner crab salad by Neil Perry is one of them.
Light, fresh and bursting with the flavours of summer, it’s the perfect entrée for Christmas lunch, a leisurely long lunch with friends or a refreshing way to enjoy Boxing Day leftovers. Sweet Australian spanner crab pairs beautifully with ripe tomatoes, crisp cucumber and fresh herbs, creating a dish that’s as vibrant as it is effortless.
I love keeping small 100-gram sachets of premium spanner crab meat in the freezer throughout the festive season. They’re incredibly versatile and make entertaining almost effortless. Beyond this salad, they’re delicious folded through gluten-free pasta or risotto, or wrapped in rice paper with kelp noodles, fresh herbs and sprouts, then served with a zesty Vietnamese dipping sauce.
What is spanner crab?
A spanner crab (Ranina ranina), also known as the red frog crab, is a unique marine crab found in the warm coastal waters of Australia and throughout the Indo-Pacific. It is prized for its exceptionally sweet, delicate meat and is considered one of Australia’s premium seafoods.
Unlike blue swimmer or mud crabs, the spanner crab has a distinctive flattened, reddish-brown shell with long, spanner-shaped front claws, which give the species its common name. It spends much of its life buried beneath sandy seabeds, using only its eyes and antennae to detect prey.
Spanner crabs are commercially harvested off the east coast of Australia, particularly in Queensland and northern New South Wales, where fisheries are carefully managed to ensure sustainable populations. Their meat is firm yet delicate, with a naturally sweet flavour that pairs beautifully with citrus, herbs and light dressings.
Nutritionally, spanner crab is an excellent source of lean protein, while also providing vitamin B12, selenium, zinc, iodine and omega-3 fatty acids. It is naturally low in saturated fat, making it a nutritious choice as part of a balanced diet.
Neil Perry’s recipe
This recipe is inspired by one of Neil Perry’s signature seafood dishes and aligns perfectly with my own Food as Medicine philosophy—celebrating fresh, seasonal ingredients and allowing quality produce to shine. Sometimes the simplest recipes really are the best.
If you’re looking for a sophisticated yet easy seafood starter, this spanner crab salad is one you’ll return to every summer.
PrintSpanner crab with tomato and cucumber salad
- YieldServes 4
This elegant spanner crab salad by Neil Perry is light, fresh and bursting with the flavours of summer, it’s the perfect entrée for Christmas lunch, a leisurely long lunch with friends or a refreshing way to enjoy Boxing Day leftovers. Sweet Australian spanner crab pairs beautifully with ripe tomatoes, crisp cucumber and fresh herbs, creating a dish that’s as vibrant as it is effortless.
Ingredients
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 lemons
1 baby cos lettuce, leaves separated and torn
16 cherry tomatoes, cut in half
2 cucumbers, peeled, cut in half, seeds removed and cut into 1cm half moons
2 birdseye chillies, seeds removed and chopped
1 small red onion, finely chopped
2 tbsp finely chopped parsley
4 x 100 gram sachets of cooked spanner crab meat
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Place the olive oil, the juice of 2 lemons, the zest of 1 lemon, sea salt and black pepper to taste in a small bowl, and mix well
- In a separate bowl, place the cos lettuce and 1/3 of the dressing, season with pepper, toss gently and divide among 4 plates
- Place the remaining ingredients, except the crab, in the bowl and dress with 1/2 the remaining dressing. Place the salad on top of the leaves
- Place the crab and the last bit of dressing in the bowl and mix. Place a mound of crab on each salad. Finish with a good grind of pepper and a sprinkle of sea salt
- Hot tips: Any seafood can be substituted for the crab. Consider cubes of raw fish, marinated for 5 minutes in lime juice, or chunks of cured ocean trout
You must be logged in to post a comment.