Orzo Salad with Crab, Sweetcorn, Shiitake Mushrooms and Creme Fraiche

This was a surprisingly good salad, the combination of the mushrooms sweetcorn and crab is delicious and I suspect it would have been just as good without the creme fraiche

Orzo Salad with Crab, Sweetcorn, Shiitake Mushrooms and Creme Fraiche

(from A Perfectly Tossed Salad)

(Serves 4-6)

250g orzo pasta

2 tbsp oil

2 corn cobs, shucked

2 tbsp shallot, finely sliced

salt and pepper

340g shiitake mushrooms

3 tbsp olive oil

small bunch parsley, chopped

225g white crab meat

115ml creme fraiche

small bunch chives, chopped

2 pinches cayenne pepper

3 tbsp thinly sliced basil leaves

squeeze lemon juice

Bring a pan of water to the boil and cook the orzo according to packet instructions. Drain, run under cold water and drain again well.

In a large frying pan, heat 2 tbsp oil over a medium high heat. Add the sweetcorn, shallow, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. Reduce the heat to medium low and cook for about 5 mins, stirring occasionally, until the corn is crisp-tender. Add the mushrooms and parsley. Continue to cook for a further 5 mins, stirring frequently, until the mushrooms are wilted and tender. Take the pan off the heat.

Transfer the orzo to a large bowl and add the olive oil, the mushroom mixture, crab meat, creme fraiche, chives, basil, squeeze lemon juice, a little salt and the cayenne pepper. Stir the salad to combine, then season and serve.