On the face of it, this looks like a bit of an odd recipe. Mayonnaise and crackers? Apples? We tried this way of making and serving crab cakes because we felt that there had to be more than the usual pairing of fish or crab cakes with Thai spicing. What happens is that the mayo and crackers bind the mixture, the mustard helping with the alchemy without dominating the flavour when cooked. Also, we knew that crab and apple worked well together from Crab and Apple salad with Baby Gems and Fennel, so it seemed likely that fried Bramley slices would work with the crab cakes, and they certainly do. It creates moist cakes with a crisp crust that show off the crab's flavour. It also works well with a light Japanese pickle alongside the apple, giving it slightly Asian flavouring

40g Carrs Table Water crackers or Matzo biscuits

400g fresh white crab meat

1 beaten egg

2 tbsps homemade Mayonnaise (Sorry, it just doesn't work with Hellmanns)

1 dstspn English mustard powder

1 tbsp lemon juice

2 tbsp chopped parsley

light oil to fry

1 Bramley Apple

salt and pepper

To serve:

rocket

pickled vegetables

gentle vinaigrette

• Crush the crackers to fine, fine crumbs. You may need to whizz them in a blender, but be sure to pass them through a sieve.

• Put the crab into a bowl, and add the crumbs carefully, just enough to soak up any moisture from the crab. You may not need all the crumbs.

• Mix the beaten egg, the mayo, the mustard powder, the lemon juice, parsley and a little seasoning in a bowl. Add this mixture carefully to the crab and crumb mix. Try not to break up the crab too much. N.B. The crab mix doesn't taste great when raw, so don't be surprised if you taste it before it's cooked and pull a face

• Shape the mixture into 8 little patties, about 3 inches across. Put them on a plate, cover with cling film and put them in the fridge for at least an hour

• When you're ready to serve, cut the Bramley apple horizontally into 8 slices, each about 4mm thick. Cut the core part out of them, leaving rings, with the skin till on. Melt a little oil in a frying pan, and fry them until they're golden brown, then place 2 on each of 4 plates

• Add a little more oil to the pan, and fry the crab patties for 2 to 3 minutes at a medium to high heat per side until crisp and golden, but moist inside

• Place one on each fried apple ring, scatter with rocket leaves and serve immediately with a gentle vinaigrette and pickle on the side