Place crab in a large pot of boiling water (enough to cover the crab) that has been generously salted, add 1 bay leaf and the juice of half a lemon (salt-to-water ratio should be: 1 cup salt to 1 gallon water) and cook for 7 minutes. Remove crab and place in a bowl of ice water until chilled.

Once chilled, clean the crab by removing the top shell, lungs and other membranes. Break the crab into quarters (leaving the legs attached to body) and rinse under cold running water.

Boil the potatoes until just tender.

Preheat oven to 450°F. Slice the fennel vertically into 6 roughly equal pieces and place in a shallow roasting pan. Sprinkle with salt and drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil. Roast in the preheated oven until tender, about 8 to 10 minutes.

Coat the cut side of 1 lemon half with olive oil and place directly on a hot grill. Grill until char marks are visible.

Place the cleaned crab quarters, potatoes and fennel in an ovenproof pan with 1 tablespoons of melted butter. Ladle half of the Garlic Butter (see recipe here) on top of the crab and roast the entire dish for 8 to 10 minutes. It is done when the shell is golden brown and slightly crispy, and the crab meat has turned opaque.

Remove pan from the oven and place over medium-high heat on the stovetop. Add the Herbsaint, taking care as the addition of the alcohol will cause the pan to flame. Stir with a wooden spoon or spatula to deglaze the pan.

TO SERVE

Place the crab and potatoes on a serving platter or individual plates. Squeeze half of a lemon over the crab and sprinkle with chopped chives and chervil. Serve with the remaining half of the Garlic Butter for dipping.

Garnish with grilled lemon half.

GARLIC BUTTER

Place garlic in a food processor and pulse until rough chopped. Melt butter in a large saute pan over medium heat, then add the garlic, chili flakes, salt and pepper and cook until garlic is soft.