Instructions
Luxury is such a particular thing, built on a complex matrix of our experiences, preconceptions and values. For example, the grand sailing yachts that inhabit my dreams of wealth will render my wife queasy at the merest thought. And let me assure you, there’s no sense of luxury when you’re going green at the gills.
So if luxury is personal and indeterminate, then how do we know when we have attained it? Therein, as the bard would tell, lies the rub.
It would seem that luxury is not a tangible ‘thing’, but rather it is a belief or state of mind. Not only does our sense of luxury differ between us at a deeply personal level, but our appreciation of the luxuriousness implicit in an individual item may change from time to time. In the evening I’m loving caviar, while at breakfast it’s just smelly fish eggs.
Then surely the defining quality of luxury is that it lies temptingly out of daily reach: luxury is aspirational. On paper that makes sense, but this would also imply that the Buffets, Packers and Murdochs of our world are denied luxury through their very ability to obtain it at will. On second thoughts, scratch that – I’d reckon the rich know a thing or two about luxury.
In fact I think it’s very simple: at its core, luxury is about pleasure and simple human happiness. Luxury is the feeling we get when we indulge in something our life ordinarily precludes, whether by constraints on our wallet or our time. Luxury is doing something for ourselves. A long, quiet soak in the bath can mean more to the overworked mogul than any glass of fine French champagne.
But for some everyday luxury I can’t go past an iconic Australian seafood – the blue swimmer crab. Also known as sand crab, flower crab or blue manna crab (depending on where you live), it’s sweet and delicious. But what might surprise you is that blue swimmer crab is also extremely affordable. A 300g crab yields enough meat for a portion, and will cost less than $6 in peak season, making it more economical than steak.
The real luxury in crab is the time it takes to crack and prepare. Blue swimmer crabs should be steamed (never boiled) for approximately 10 minutes. Either eat them immediately with a delicious sauce, or chill in iced water before cracking the shell and gently removing the meat, taking great care to avoid all the small pieces of internal carapace. Toss the meat through some perfectly cooked pasta with citrus and olive oil, and you’ll understand that the real purpose of luxury is the reward at the end – that it’s always worth waiting for.
Linguine with blue swimmer crab and lime