Celery & Leek Soup w/ Crab Salad
For the wontons, cut 3-4” circles from the sheets (not necessary, but cute) with a ring mold or biscuit cutter, or simply trim to 4x4” squares if using larger wonton sheets. Heat 2-3 inches of vegetable oil in a wok or dutch oven to 350. Fry each circle for about 30-40 seconds, flipping when the edges begin to tan, until deep and golden brown. Set aside. These stay good and crispy the next day.
Halve and clean the leeks, as they can be sandy where the white meets the green. Slice ⅛” moons and drop into a deep pan or dutch oven with butter, olive oil, and bayleaf with a heavy pinch of salt and pepper. Cook on medium high, stirring constantly to avoid adding any browning, until leeks assume a melted translucence. Roughly chop celery, leaves included, and garlic and drop. Give a few good stirs so that everything is incorporated. Continue to season with salt each step of the process. Reduce heat to medium and cover, stirring occasionally for 12-15 minutes until celery and leeks are soft and buttery.
Add vinegar and scrape any good bits from the bottom of the pot. Add stock and simmer for another 15-20 minutes. Cut the heat and add coconut cream and milk. At this point you can use an immersion hand blender, food processor, or vitamix and blitz to a smooth consistency. Salt to taste here.
Hachiya persimmons are shaped like upside down pears, and ripe ones should be tender and doughy to the touch. If it were any other fruit, it would feel rotten. (Fuyu persimmons—the other prevalent persimmon varietal—are shaped like squat tomatoes and have firmer flesh, are less tannic and astringent when not totally ripe, and can be eaten like an apple.) These are both widely available during the winter months.
Peel and brunoise (⅛ x ⅛ x ⅛ -inch) the persimmon (cuidado—those suckers are slippery) and set aside. Core the fennel bulb and shave into paper thin slices; keep fennel in cool h2o until ready to use.
Sweet preserved plums. These plums are about 1-1.5”, and typically two-toned reddish-purple and street sign-yellow. The flavor is sweet and tart, almost mawkish, with a tinge of yeasty musk. If you can’t find these, any slightly overripe stone fruit will work just fine.
For the dressing, remove pits from the plums, mince the flesh (with peel on), sprinkle with a little coarse salt, and drag the side of your knife across the fruit, smashing it into a wet paste. Whisk in a small mixing bowl with lemon juice, salt, and slowly incorporating the olive oil. Consistency should be that of a thick and creamy dressing.
Gently toss crab, fennel, and persimmon in a couple tablespoons of dressing, taking care not to beat up the crab meat.
For plating, place a 1oz dollop of ricotta in the center of a shallow soup bowl. Top with a mound of the crab salad, a few fennel fronds, and ladle soup around the crab. Place wonton on top, or propped up against the salad so the crab is still visible.
Buon app!
This dish was our reinterpretation of the crab rangoon. Silky and buttery, with the ripe winter fruits in place of the traditional sweet-n-sour dipping sauce.
(serves 8)
for the soup:
2 leeks
1.5 bunches celery
2 TBL butter
2 TBL olive oil
5 cloves garlic
1 bay leaf
32oz veg stock
1 can coconut milk
1 can coconut cream (or a 2nd can coconut mik)
4 TBL good sherry vinegar
2 tsp salt, or to taste
for the salad:
10 oz blue lump crab meat
1 hachiya persimmon
4 sweet plums (see note)
½ bulb shaved fennel, plus fronds
8 oz ricotta cheese
Juice of 1 lemon
1 TBL olive oil
1 pkg wontons
veg oil for frying
