Diarmuid Ó Mathúna, a Cork-born chef, has made his mark in the heart of the Connemara Gaeltacht as the founder of POTA Cafe in Baile na hAbhann, Co Galway.
A graduate of Ballymaloe Cookery School in Cork, he is known for his deep commitment to seasonal, locally sourced ingredients and sustainable food practices.
At POTA, Ó Mathúna celebrates both Irish language and community;, menus are written in Irish and English, and local farmers and producers are featured throughout the experience.
He says this recipe for Aran Islands Potted Crab with Goatsbridge Trout Caviar and Cucumber Pickle “started out as a pure gamble”.
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“We saw it as a bit of a nod to the traditional methods of preserving and transporting shellfish from the coast before refrigerated vans and the like came along. We knew we could get amazing crab from Niamh and Bertie on Inis Mór, we knew Aisling and Seán’s Velvet Cloud Sheep’s Yoghurt was unreal and we knew Úna and Pádraig in Beechlawn had beautiful fresh fennel.
“We put them all together with some fresh leaf from Aonghus in the Garraí Glas and now we’ve topped it off with some beautiful Goatsbridge Trout Caviar for that little salty kick and it just works!”
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Ó Mathúna says the recipe is better when prepared a day in advance but “is still damn good after an hour of letting the flavours come together”. He advises that it be served on home-made brown soda, “with a little dillisk through it for that added minerality”.
Aran Islands Potted Crab with Goatsbridge Trout Caviar and Cucumber Pickle (serves six)
Ingredients
For the crab
- 250g cooked crabmeat (a mixture of brown and white is nice)
- 250g full fat natural yoghurt (we use Velvet Cloud Sheep’s Yoghurt)
- ½ red onion, finely diced
- 2 cloves of garlic
- ½ fennel bulb, finely diced
- 50g butter
- Salt
- Juice of ½ lemon
For the pickle
- 1 cucumber
- 100g caster sugar
- 100ml white wine vinegar
- 5g salt
- Goatsbridge Caviar to finish
- First, prepare the pickle. Slice the cucumber thinly. The slices shouldn’t be more than 2mm thick. You can use a mandolin or the slicing blade of a food processor for extra accuracy and speed but a sharp knife will do just fine too. Place them in a colander over a bowl and sprinkle them with the salt. Mix them around a bit with your hands to make sure the salt is well spread through them. Set them aside for 30 mins. When you come back to them you’ll see that a lot of water has been drawn out by the salt.
- While you’re waiting, you can prepare the pickling liquor. Simply mix 100ml of white wine vinegar with 100g of caster sugar. I like to do it in the jar in which I’m pickling to save on the washing up. Note: Make sure the jar you’re using is really clean and big enough for the recipe without being too big. A 750ml jar should suffice. The less air inside at the end, the better.
- When the cucumber has spent 30 minutes with the salt, you can add it directly to the jar with the pickle. Make sure everything in the jar is under the liquid. You can press it down or make more liquor if you need to. It’ll be ready in around 30 mins but it’ll be better the next day.
- For the crab, mince the garlic and gently sauté in the butter for around five minutes until soft and fragrant.
- In a large mixing bowl, pour the garlic and its butter over the diced onion and fennel and mix together. Add in the crabmeat and yoghurt.
- Add in half of the lemon and a pinch of salt and mix well. Season and add more lemon juice to your taste.
- It can be eaten immediately but is better left to settle and let the flavours come together for about an hour in the fridge.
- Serve on brown soda topped with the pickle and Goatsbridge Trout Caviar.
Diarmuid Ó Mathúna is a member of Euro-Toques Ireland, a community of chefs, cooks, and food producers dedicated to preserving the integrity and authenticity of Irish culinary traditions. Founded in 1986, the organisation promotes seasonal, locally sourced ingredients and supports sustainable food practices through advocacy, education, and events. Its members champion food culture rooted in quality, provenance, and respect for producers, while mentoring the next generation of chefs to carry these values forward.
