• 2 large live brown cock crabs, about 1kg (2lb 4oz) each
• 4 eggs, at room temperature
• 1 hot red chilli, halved, deseeded and very thinly sliced
• 1 small garlic clove, peeled and sliced into very fine slivers
• 1 teaspoon crushed fenugreek seeds
• 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• lemon, for squeezing
• 8–12 slices of sourdough or good-quality rustic bread, toasted and buttered, to serve
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

You must kill the crabs before cooking, as it’s the most humane way to treat them. Lay each crab on its back and lift the tail flap to reveal a cone-shaped indentation in the shell. Quickly push a sharp spike, nail or bradle into this indent and twist a couple of times to sever tissues in the ventral nerve centre. Then immediately drive the spike into the crab’s head, through the mouth, between and below the eyes, and lever it back and forth a few times to destroy the nerve tissues here.

To cook the crabs, bring a large pan of well-salted water to the boil. Place the crabs into the boiling water. Once boiling again, cook for 10–12 minutes. (I allow 1 minute for roughly every 100g/3½oz the crab weighs.) Take the crabs out of the pan and leave to cool. Discard the cooking water.

To pick the meat from your crabs, first twist off the legs and claws. Open the body by pulling the undercarriage away from the shell: press your thumb onto the face of each crab, just below the eyes – the undercarriage will crack and pop inwards. Lift this up and out of the shell and discard. You’re left with the rich and creamy brown meat (the texture can vary depending on the condition of the crab). Use a pick or teaspoon to remove all the meat from the shell and set aside.

Discard the grey feathery gills (or ‘dead man’s fingers’) from the body. Cut the body in half down the middle and pick out the delicate white meat; the meat runs right through into the joint of each leg.

Lightly crack the legs and claws using the back of a heavy knife or a small hammer. You’ll find the majority of the white meat in the front claws, but take your time with the legs, as it’s surprising how much meat you can amass. Once you’ve picked off all the white meat, set it aside while you prepare the remaining ingredients.

To cook the eggs, bring a medium pan of water to the boil. Carefully add the eggs to the water, bring back to the boil and cook for 6½ minutes to hard boil. Drain the eggs, then run them under a cold tap for a minute or so, to stop them cooking. Peel the eggs and set them aside.

Place the chilli and garlic in a small pan with the fenugreek and 4 tablespoons of the olive oil. Set the pan over a low heat and cook gently until the garlic is fragrant, but not coloured; about 3–4 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and allow to cool.

Place the brown crab meat on a board, add the mayonnaise, a good squeeze of lemon juice, the remaining spoonful of olive oil and plenty of salt and pepper. Use a knife to chop all this together until everything is well mixed and the meat is relatively fine.

To serve, spread the buttered toast with a generous spoonful of dressed brown crab meat, followed by some white. Halve or quarter the eggs and arrange a few pieces over the crab. Trickle over a teaspoon of the chilli and fenugreek oil and finish with another squeeze of lemon.