Named after the Bay of Biscay, this rich, spicy beauty of a soup really packs a punch. Whenever you eat prawns or even lobster, keep back all the shells and freeze them. That way this can almost be a 'store-cupboard dish'. Don't be scared by the amount of ingredients, it's pretty straightforward.

Ingredients:

  • 1 medium sized crab
  • 2 chopped onions
  • ½ a head of garlic
  • 5 carrots, chopped
  • ½ a bunch of celery sticks
  • 2 birds-eye chillies
  • 2 tbsps of turmeric
  • 2 tbsps of ground cumin
  • 2 tbsps of paprika
  • 1½ tbsps of ground coriander
  • 1 tbsp of cayenne pepper
  • 2 tbsps of ground ginger
  • A large pinch of saffron
  • 20 or so prawn heads and shells
  • A large, large glug of brandy
  • ½ a glass of white wine
  • ½ a tube of tomato puree
  • 2 tins of chopped tomatoes
  • A handful of rice
  • ½ a litre of water
  • Salt
  • Olive oil

Method:

Heat some olive oil in the largest pan you have and add the onions, garlic, carrots, celery, chillies and a pinch of salt. Let the vegetables roast gently in the pan while you mix the spices and saffron together in a bowl.

Smash up the crab and prawn bits by wrapping them in a tea-towel and bashing them with a rolling pin. Turn the heat up and give everything a good stir for a few minutes. De-glaze the pan with the white wine and let it reduce down. When there is not much liquid left, pour in the brandy and set fire to it with a match, but be careful of your eyebrows. Let the alcohol burn off and throw in the spices, stir and squeeze in the tomato puree. Stir again then pour in the chopped tomatoes, mix everything around and bring to the boil. Throw in the rice and the water and season well with salt. Boil for five minutes, then cover and turn down the heat. Simmer gently for 40 minutes.

With a hand blender blitz everything up being careful to avoid the black claw tips as these will break your blade. Make sure it's all well blitzed and push the mixture through a fine sieve with the back of a wooden spoon a little at a time. Pour into serving bowls and serve with a dollop of crème fraîche mixed with chopped tarragon.