Festival of family fun

Garden parties, weekend barbecues, dinner around the campfire - eating outdoors is always a highlight of summer, and we've got the best recipes for all occasions

Crab croquettes with sriracha mayo dip

Our homage to a classic seaside sandwich is a real treat for a day out on the beach. Chilling the crab filling is important here, because the mixture needs time to firm up before being shaped. We've served our croquettes with a simple sriracha mayo, but you can serve them with whatever your favourite dip is.

MAKES 8 PREP 25 mins plus at least 2 hrs chilling

COOK 20 mins MORE EFFORT

50g butter

1 small red onion, finely chopped

40g plain flour

200ml milk

1 lemon, zested small handful of parsley, finely chopped

2 spring onions, finely sliced

200g crabmeat (we used half white and half brown crabmeat)

1-2 eggs, beaten

80g panko breadcrumbs vegetable oil, for frying

For the sriracha mayo

1-2 tbsp sriracha

6 tbsp mayonnaise

1 Melt half the butter in a small pan over a medium heat and fry the red onions for 5-8 mins until soft but not golden. Remove to a small bowl, leaving any residual butter in the pan. Set aside. Add the remaining butter to the pan and reduce the heat to medium-low. Once melted, whisk in the flour. Cook for 1 min, then gradually whisk in the milk, a little at a time. When all the milk has been added and you have a glossy, smooth paste, cook for another 1 min, stirring continuously.

2 Remove from the heat and stir in the cooked red onions, lemon zest, parsley and spring onions. Leave to cool for a few minutes, then stir in the crabmeat and season lightly. Transfer to a bowl, cover and chill for at least 2 hrs or overnight.