Sauté of yabby tails with vegetable escabèche

Method

1. To prepare the yabbies:
   
   Put them in the freezer for an hour or so before cooking. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and blanch the yabbies, a few at a time, for 10 seconds. Refresh in iced water and when cool enough to handle remove the heads, shells and intestinal tract. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
2. To prepare the vegetables:
   
   Blanch the carrot, celery and zucchini batons until just tender, then refresh in iced water. Drain, pat dry and set to one side.
3. Heat the oil in a large frying pan and sauté the capsicum and eggplant batons for a few minutes until lightly browned. Season with salt and pepper then deglaze the pan with a splash of vinegar. Combine all vegetables and set aside until required.
4. To make the spicy marinade:
   
   Heat a heavy-based frying pan and lightly toast the crushed coriander and cardamom seeds with the saffron threads until they smell aromatic. Add the orange and lime juice and the verjuice, bring to the boil and simmer for a few minutes until reduced by a third. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the olive oil and chilli. Season to taste. Pour over the vegetables while still hot and leave to marinate for 2 hours.
5. To serve:
   
   Melt the butter in a saucepan until lightly foaming. Add the yabby tails and sauté until golden and lightly caramelised. Season well and drain on kitchen paper.
6. Gently warm the marinated vegetables. Divide them between 8 warm serving plates and arrange the yabby tails on top, allowing 3 per serve. Spoon on some of the pan juices then drizzle the yabby bisque and herb oil around the plate. Garnish with the baby basil leaves and the basil chiffonade.