braised fennel with crab – Simple Meal Plans

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quantities for different serving sizes

I’ve made this recipe to serve 1 based on a small bulb of fennel. But you could easily increase. Most large bulbs of fennel would be enough to serve 2. You’ll need a much bigger pan if you more than double the recipe and it will take the fennel longer to cook.

prepare ahead?

You could easily cook the fennel ahead of time. I think peas are nicer when freshly cooked so you could add the peas and reheat and continue with the recipe as above.

variations for dietary requirements & fun

vegetarian – If you’re eating cheese, you could replace the crab with ricotta, goats cheese or cottage cheese.

vegan – Toasted almonds or a drained can of white beans would make a nice replacement for the crab. And olive oil or macadamia oil instead of the butter. OR serve the fennel and peas as a side to baked tofu.

fun – intensify the fennel flavour by adding a teaspoon or so of fennel seeds with the peas. OR spice it up with a little fresh or dried chilli.

more substantial – toss in a drained can of beans or lentils with the crab.

carnivore – replace the crab with 1 -2 crumbled pork sausages. Remove them from their skins and brown in the pan before adding the fennel. May not need as much lemon juice as the crab.

troubleshooting guide

too bland – Season with extra salt & pepper.

fennel burning – You want the fennel to soften more than brown at both stages of the cooking process. If it’s burning upfront, turn the heat down. If it starts to burn after you’ve added the peas, add a little more water.

fennel too crunchy – Depending on the age and size of your fennel, it may take longer to go lovely and tender. Just keep adding water and keep cooking until it is soft.

serving way too large for 1 person – fennel does vary quite a bit in size so if you think there’s going to be too much. Don’t

can’t find fennel? – You could easily replace it with cauliflower chopped into tiny trees or skip the browning and water parts and cook a drained can of white beans with the peas and crab.

don’t know how to handle fennel? – Watch the video! It’s much easier to show than write.

serving suggestions

Great on its own.

You could easily skip the crab and serve this as a vegetable side dish. Fennel is great with pork such as pork cutlets or sausages. Or even roast pork.