An original recipe from Philippe Groult, Meilleur Ouvrier de France 1982, who apprenticed with Joël Robuchon before opening his own restaurant, L'Amphycles, one of Paris' great addresses

8 av. des Ternes,  17th arrondissement,
Metro Porte Maillot  - Tel: +33-1-40-68-01-01

Preparing the court-bouillon and cooking the crabs

1. Bring 7 liters (7 qt.) water to a boil; add the carrot, onion, lemon zest, ginger, thyme, bay leaf and peppercorns;
2. boil for 3 minutes, then add the white wine and vinegar; return to the boil; reduce the heat and simmer gently for 10 minutes; 
3. bring back to a boil over high heat. Immerse 4 male spider crabs head first into the court-bouillon and cook for 12 minutes from the time they go into the water; remove and drain; 
4. skim the court-bouillon; repeat the process with the 4 females, then the other 4 males; set aside; 
5. prepare a large bowl of ice water; bring the court-bouillon to a boil over high heat and blanch the seaweed for 30 seconds, just until it it changes color; 
6. drain and refresh immediately in ice water; drain again and set aside. 

Preparing the crabs

1. prepare 2 bowls, one for the crabmeat, the other for the liquid and coral; 
2. shell the 4 small males. Their shells will be used for presentation, so it's not necessary to remove the meat from the claws; 
3. cut all around the head and remove the upper part of the shell; 
4. reserve the liquid and coral from the head. On the lower part of each crab, pull on the shell and remove the meat; rinse the shells under cold water and set aside; shell the remaining 8 crabs in the same way; 
5. using a spoon, remove the eggs under the belly of the females and reserve it; 
6. delicately break the claws with a hammer or nutcracker; remove the meat with a shellfish fork; reserve the creamy liquid and coral from the head; discard the shells; 

1. in a bowl, whisk the creamy liquid, coral and half the eggs to a fairly smooth texture; 
2. whisk in 5 tbsp. olive oil, adding it in a thin stream; 
3. add the lemon juice; season with salt and pepper; add the shallot and flat leaf parsley; set aside; 
4. be sure there are no pieces of shell in the crabmeat by sticking a skewer here and there; add half the meat to the cream; correct the seasoning and set aside; 
5. place the caviar in a bowl and add the remaining olive oil as well as half the chives; mix gently and set aside. 

Finishing

1. to serve, lay out the seaweed on 4 large serving plates; 
2. place the empty shells in the center; spoon the crab cream into the middle and place the remaining crabmeat on top;
3. garnish with the caviar and the rest of the chives; serve immediately.