Thai chilli-dressed crab with grapefruit salad

Method

1. First prepare the crabs: put a cooked crab on a chopping board on its back. Twist off the legs and claws and set aside. Put your thumbs against the hard shell close to the tail and carefully prise the main body section away from the shell. This can require a little persistence with larger crabs.
2. Discard the greyish stomach sac near the mouth. Discard the ‘dead men’s fingers’ – the long white/grey gills – which are inedible.
3. Carefully remove all the white and brown meat, keeping them separate: crack the claws with a rolling pin, small hammer or nutcracker and use a skewer to pick out the meat. Check all the crevices in the body for white meat. Be careful to remove all small pieces of shell. Repeat with the other crab(s). Clean the main shells and keep for serving.
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4. In a medium bowl, combine the chilli, juice of 1½ limes, fish sauce, ginger, most of the coriander, chilli sauce and avocado. Stir in the white meat and season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir the mayonnaise and remaining lime juice into the brown meat and season with black pepper.
5. For the salad, combine the rocket, grapefruit and cucumber in a bowl, then pour over the reserved grapefruit juice and a drizzle of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
6. Divide the 2 mixtures equally among the shells, if you have them, or spoon onto plates. Garnish with the remaining coriander and serve with the salad.