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For the aioli
To make about 2 cups of aioli, pound 6 cloves of garlic with a
pinch of salt in a mortar until it becomes a paste. Place this
in a mixing bowl and whisk together with a whole egg and the
juice of half a lemon. Whisking constantly, slowly drizzle in 1
1/2 cups of a mild-tasting extra virgin olive oil until the
mixture emulsifies and thickens. Season with salt and pepper to
taste, then serve it as a dip for freshly cooked yabby tails.
The number of yabbies to allow per person depends on what else
is served in the meal. As a guide, 6 to 8 yabbies for a first
course and 12 to 14 for a main should do the trick. Yabby
sandwiches are ideal for a summer treat, with the aioli
replacing butter as the spread.
To cook yabbies properly, I've found the least distressing
method (for the yabby) is to place the live crustaceans in the
refrigerator for an hour or so. The cold slows down their
nervous system and they become sluggish.
Then bring a large pot of water - allow a litre of water per
yabby - to a rolling boil and add a cup of salt. If preparing a
large number of yabbies, it may be necessary to cook them in
batches. Plunge the yabbies into the water (death will be almost
instantaneous).
Once the water comes back up to the boil, take the yabbies out
of the water and let them cool. |
