Nigel Slater’s seafood tart and cucumber buttermilk salad

The kitchen is at its best right now, doors wide open, the sun beaming down, the windowsill full of herbs to plunder. Only interruptions from an errant bee, stuck in the skylights, followed by a rescue mission from yours truly, gets in the way of a spot of weekend baking. This time, a tart the size of a brie, the pastry crisp, the filling quivering with creamy custard and seafood.

Crabmeat is justifiably expensive (someone has to pick the meat from those beautiful rust and cream shells and claws). A tart is an economical way of using this quintessential sunny-day seafood. I married mine with crayfish tails and flecked the mixture with chopped parsley and tarragon. A handful of grated parmesan added an extra note of umami to the pastry crust.

My favourite seasonal sandwich of crab and cucumber was the inspiration for a salad to sit beside the tart. I chilled the cucumber – which in effect makes it even crisper – then made a dressing based on buttermilk. Blended with a little lemon juice and olive oil, it was as refreshing as a spring salad could be and is one that I will use throughout the salad season. Buttermilk also seems to have an affinity for lettuce and makes a light dressing for a salad of romaine or butterhead. Watercress will introduce a peppery note.

Next month sees the end of the asparagus season, so I am still making the most of it while it lasts. This time with an accompaniment of ricotta and crisp, hot breadcrumbs. A dish of assorted textures that would also make a good summer main course with soft folds of thinly sliced San Daniele or Parma ham or some smoked fish. Or perhaps crisp up some rashers of streaky bacon under a hot grill and trickle the melted fat over the spears and the soft, fresh cheese.

I picked up some Turkish apricots this week – a ray of golden sunshine on the table. I immediately split each fruit in half, flipped the stones out with my thumb and poured runny honey in the hollows. Baked until the flesh had turned to jelly, the fruit then got a light sprinkling of rosewater, the perfume mixing with that of the warm apricots. No cream needed. A truly heavenly dessert.

My strawberries, mostly in pots, are showing their first flowers. When you grow only a few, they become even more of a treat, so I usually eat them on the kitchen steps, within seconds of being picked. Fingers crossed for an early crop. When the first locally grown berries appear I feel they deserve more than to be smothered in cream, so I usually eat them straight from the punnet. Should they need a little help, I cut each fruit in half and toss them with a little freshly squeezed orange juice and the smallest pinch of sugar. A leaf or two of mint, crushed in the hand and tucked into the marinade helps too.

Serves 6-8. Ready in 90 minutes

Having a hot baking sheet ready in the oven on which to bake the tart will ensure a crisp pastry case. I use a cast iron sheet but anything that holds the heat will do. I cannot recommend this too highly. The tart is at its best when served warm rather than hot, so I allow time for it to settle before cutting. Half an hour or so is about right. It will also be easier to cut.

For the filling:
medium eggs 4
double cream 450ml
parsley leaves a handful
crabmeat 120g
peeled prawns or crayfish 120g

For the pastry:
butter 90g
plain flour 150g
egg yolk 1
grated parmesan 3 tbsp

For the salad:
cucumber 500g
spring onions 4
buttermilk 3 tbsp
olive oil 3 tbsp
lemon juice 1 tbsp

You will need a baking sheet and a 22cm diameter tart tin with a removable base.

Put the cucumbers for the salad in the fridge to chill, then start the pastry. Cut the butter into small pieces and rub into the flour using your fingertips. Stop when they resemble fine breadcrumbs. Alternatively, a food processor will see the job done in seconds. Mix in the egg yolk, the grated parmesan and a tablespoon or two of cold water. Tip the mixture into a bowl, then bring together to form a ball with your hands, then knead briefly (no longer than a minute), shaping it into a ball as you go.

Roll the pastry out to a disc large enough to line the tart tin. Lower the pastry into place, pressing gently into the tin, patching any holes or tears as you go. (Do this meticulously, otherwise your tart will leak.) Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.

For the filling, break the eggs into a mixing bowl and beat with a fork until lightly mixed, season with salt and black pepper. Pour in the cream. Finely chop the parsley leaves and stir in.

Set the oven at 190C/gas mark 5. Place a baking sheet in the oven to heat up. (You will bake the tart on this.) Tuck a sheet of baking parchment or foil in the tart tin, fill with baking beans, then slide into the preheated oven on top of the hot baking sheet. Bake for 25 minutes, then carefully remove the foil and baking beans. Return the empty pastry case to the oven for 5 minutes until the pastry is dry to the touch. Remove from the oven.

Scatter the crabmeat and prawns over the base of the pastry case, then gently pour in the filling so it comes almost to the top of the pastry. Carefully slide the tart into the oven and bake for about 25 minutes, until the filling has set and quivers gently when lightly shaken. Remove from the oven and leave to settle before slicing. Allow to cool completely before attempting to remove from the tin.

To make the salad, peel the cucumbers, cut them in half down their length and scrape out and discard the seedy core. Cut the cucumber into thick pieces – no larger than you can get comfortably on your fork. Finely chop the spring onions, removing any roots or tough green stems. In a blender, mix together the buttermilk, olive oil and lemon juice, then season with black pepper and sea salt. Stir in the cucumber and set aside to chill.