Cracked Dungeness Crab Salad with grapefruit, orange and avocado dressing
Makes 4 servings
Ingredients
-for the crabs
2 each Large Dungeness crabs, live
2 each Small onion, peeled and diced coarsely
1 each Small carrot, chopped coarsely
2 rib Celery, chopped coarsely
3 each Bay leaves
1 Tbl. Black peppercorns
1 Tbl. Cayenne pepper
1/4 cup Salt
1 cup White wine
5 quarts Water
-for the avocado dressing
1 each Egg yolk
1 each Small clove of garlic, minced finely
2 oz. Virgin olive oil
1/2 each Avocado, peeled
1/4 cup Buttermilk
juice of 1/2 lemon
-for the lemon vinaigrette
Juice of two large lemons
2 each Medium shallots, peeled and minced
1 Tbl. Fresh dill leaves, chopped
1 Tbl. Fresh tarragon leaves, chopped
2 Tbls. Fresh Italian parsley leaves, chopped
1/2 cup Virgin olive oil
-to complete the dish
1 each Large pink grapefruit, peeled and segmented (no white skin)
2 each Blood oranges, peeled and segmented
1 each Avocado, peeled and sliced
1/2 lb. Baby arugula leaves
Method
-cook the crabs
1. In a suitable pot, combine all of the ingredients except the crabs and bring to a boil. Simmer for fifteen minutes then add the crabs. Boil them for eighteen minutes then remove to an ice water bath and chill.
2. Drain the crabs well then clean them by removing the skirt (the triangular piece of shell under the crab), the upper shell, gills and soft inner part. Break the legs and claws from the body then pick the meat from the body portion. Gently crack the legs and claws and refrigerate.
-prepare the avocado dressing
1. Pound the garlic in a mortar and pestle until smooth then add the egg yolk and whisk in the oil to make a stiff aioli. Season with salt and white pepper and add lemon juice to taste.
2. In a blender or food processor, puree the avocado with the buttermilk until smooth. Add the aioli and mix well. Season to taste with salt and white pepper.
-prepare the lemon vinaigrette
1. In a small, nonreactive saucepan, simmer the lemon juice and reduce it by half. Transfer to a small bowl and allow to cool. Add the shallots and herbs then whisk in the oil. Season to taste with salt and white pepper.
-to assemble the dish
1. Drizzle the avocado dressing in a ring around each of four cold plates. Arrange the avocado slices, grapefruit and blood oranges around the outside of each plate alternating slices.
2. Toss the crab claws and legs in the lemon vinaigrette and arrange them around the plates over the sliced avocado and citrus.
3. Toss half of the arugula with a small amount of the lemon vinaigrette and place in the center of the plates.
4. Coarsely chop the remaining arugula and toss with the picked crab meat and the remaining lemon vinaigrette. Place in a small mound in the center of each plate. [Previous Recipe][Next
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