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EDIBLE CANADA at the Market is a new restaurant at Granville Island’s Public Market from the founder of Edible BC. It showcases the best of local B.C. and Canadian ingredients and international flavours. This Thai-inspired soup combines fresh B.C. Dungeness crab with coconut, lemon grass, kaffir lime and fiery chilies for a refreshing new Pacific Northwest summer classic. Be sure to use young ginger, which is juicy and fleshy with very little fibre. Serve this soup hot or cold, on its own or with slices of fresh bread. This soup does not keep well.

2 stalks fresh lemon grass

2 Tbsp grapeseed oil

4 kaffir lime leaves, julienned

3 Tbsp finely minced shallots

2 Tbsp finely minced young ginger

2 Tbsp finely chopped garlic

1 to 2 small hot Thai chili peppers with seeds, finely minced

8 cups fresh seedless watermelon, in 1-inch dice

2 Tbsp fresh kaffir lime juice

1 cup coconut cream (not milk)

3 Tbsp fish sauce

½ lb fresh Dungeness crabmeat, picked over for cartilage

¼ cup finely chopped fresh cilantro

¼ cup finely chopped fresh Thai basil

1 fresh kaffir lime, in 8 slices, or 8 whole Thai chili peppers (optional)

USING A SHARP knife, cut each lemon grass stalk 3 to 4 inches from the bottom, where the light and green portions meet. Peel and discard the top layer of the light part of each stalk, revealing the tender, white inner hearts. Slice these and mince them finely. (Reserve the remaining green leaves to use in other dishes.)

Heat a large stockpot on medium and add grapeseed oil. Add lemon grass, lime leaves, shallots, ginger, garlic and minced chilies and sauté until fragrant and wilted, 2 to 3 minutes. Do not brown, or the soup will have a toasted flavour. Stir in watermelon, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for about 20 minutes until the fruit has mostly broken apart. Remove from the heat, allow to cool slightly, then, using a hand-held blender, purée the watermelon mixture.

Place a fine-mesh sieve over a large, clean bowl. Strain soup into the bowl, discarding any solids, then return to the pot. Add lime juice, coconut cream and 2 Tbsp of the fish sauce to the pot and stir well. To serve soup warm, increase the heat to medium and reheat for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring constantly. (For chilled soup, ladle soup into 8 large bowls and refrigerate uncovered for about 2 hours.)

Just before serving, combine crabmeat, cilantro, Thai basil and the remaining 1 Tbsp fish sauce in a small bowl and toss lightly. Divide crabmeat evenly among 8 soup bowls, piling it high in the centre, then pour soup around the crab. Garnish each serving with a slice of lime or a whole chili pepper.

Watermelon and Dungeness Crab Soup

Serves 8