Serves 4

Like the Italians, I am loath to mix seafood with cheese, but this American dish is an exception. As well as crab meat, you can add other seafood – small chunks of salmon or prawns would be equally delicious, for example. Mix the raw seafood into the sauce just before baking, as you would with a fish pie. It will cook perfectly in the time it takes the macaroni to finish.

400g dried macaroni

1 tbsp olive oil, plus extra to drizzle

Large knob of butter, plus extra for greasing

2 banana shallots or 1 onion, peeled and finely chopped

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

75ml white wine

400ml crème fraîche

4 large free-range egg yolks

Handful of tarragon and flat-leaf parsley, leaves chopped

Pinch each of cayenne pepper, nutmeg and mace

150g grated parmesan or medium Cheddar

250g white crab meat

2 tbsp brown crab meat (optional)

100g breadcrumbs

Pinch of sweet paprika, for sprinkling

1 Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas 4. Cook the macaroni in a large pan of boiling salted water, according to pack timings, until al dente. Drain and rinse under a cold running tap until cold. Return to the pan and toss with a drizzle of olive oil. Set aside.

2 Melt the butter with the olive oil in a sauté pan. Add the shallots and seasoning and cook over medium heat for 6-7 minutes until soft and translucent. Pour in the wine, increase the heat and bubble until reduced by half. Remove the pan from the heat.

3 Whisk the crème fraîche, egg yolks, herbs, dried spices and all but 3 tablespoons of the grated cheese with some seasoning. Toss through the cooked macaroni. Pick through the crab meat and discard any bits of shell you come across. Add the crab meat to the macaroni mixture and stir well.

4 Butter a large ovenproof baking dish, and pour in the macaroni mixture. Mix the rest of the cheese with the breadcrumbs, and scatter it on top. Finish with a sprinkling of paprika.

5 Place the dish in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes until piping hot and crisp and golden on top. Remove and leave to stand for 5 minutes before serving with a lightly dressed salad.

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