Spring has officially sprung – reawaken your palate with seasonal ingredients

After months of seemingly endless rain in the UK, a few days of sun and milder temperatures already feel transformative: mood, palate and the dinner table all shift. To mark the change in season, a new seasonal food magazine launches this Saturday and I’ve showcased crab, one of my favourite spring arrivals.

I wrote five recipes, including a speedy spicy crab cake banh mi with quick pickles and a hot cheesy crab and chive dip inspired by the American south; use that sweet, punchy brown meat in the mix for maximum flavour. Forced rhubarb, technically a winter arrival, remains prized through late spring, with outdoor rhubarb appearing by late April.

Though commonly teamed with puddings, rhubarb’s tartness suits savoury dishes too: try Felicity Cloake’s rhubarb and custard tart or Thomasina Miers’s rhubarb, cardamom and mascarpone trifle for pudding ideas, and Alexina Anatole’s seared king prawns with rhubarb and ginger sambol or Nigel Slater’s mackerel with rhubarb and sherry vinegar for savoury options.

United Kingdom

seasonal food, spring, crab, crab cake, banh mi, forced rhubarb, rhubarb, king prawns, mackerel, sherry vinegar