We are big crab fans around here, BIG crab fans. There is nothing better than sitting around the picnic table on a warm summer day cracking Old Bay laden Blue Crabs, eating corn on the cob, sipping a cold beer to quell the heat (from spice and sun), all the while chatting with family and friends.
But sometimes, steamed crabs get messy and you want something a bit more genteel (and less work for the eater) -- like a crab cake or some sort of crab salad. That was exactly my thought when I was looking for "the perfect thing" to serve for Father's Day lunch. My in-laws were coming over and I wanted to do something tasty with a touch of summer, and I had crab on my mind -- but something other than my usual crab cake (delicious, but done). And then, I remembered a recipe torn from the pages of a shelter magazine about a year ago. A simple Crab Salad topped with creamy, sliced avocado and cooling mango set in a pool of White Gazpacho made with cucumber, grapes and Marcona almonds. A spicy Mango Salsa added a colorful compliment. Inspired, I dug through my pile of "I want to make this one day" pages (admit it you have one of those too) where it, thankfully, lay near the top:
Crab Salad Stack with Green Gazpacho - serves 6
(adapted from thespotgourmet.com)Gazpacho:
2 C seedless Green Grapes
1 C Marcona Almonds
2 T chopped Fresh Dill
1 T minced Garlic
1/2 small minced Shallot
1 C Vegetable Broth
1/4 C plain Non-Fat Yogurt (regular or Greek)
1/4 C Sour Cream
1/2 C Olive Oil
Optional:
3 T Sherry Vinegar
2 T Spanish Sherry
- Place first 6 ingredients in blender. Puree until smooth.
- Add vegetable broth, yogurt and sour cream. Blend thoroughly
- Add olive oil in a thin stream as motor runs on medium. Puree 1 minute.
- Add sherry and sherry vinegar, if using.
- Season with S&P, to taste
- Store in fridge until ready to use (up to 3 days)
Crab Salad
1 lb lump Crab Meat
1/4 C diced Celery or Carrot, or a combination
2 T minced fresh Chives
1/4 t S& P (each)
1 T fresh Lemon Juice
2 dashes Worcestershire Sauce
2 dashes Hot Sauce
1 t Horseradish
1 t Dijon Mustard
1/4 C Mayo (reg or low- or fat- free)
- Combine mayo, mustard, horseradish, worcestershire, hot sauce, lemon juice.
- Add chives, celery/carrot, S&P.
- Gently fold in crab meat.
- Store in fridge until needed.
Mango Salsa
1 C diced Mango1 T diced Red Onion
1 T diced Red Pepper
1T chopped Cilantro
1 t minced & seeded jalapeno
2 T Lime Juice
1 Olive Oil
- Combine all ingredients. Chill.
Additional Ingredients/Supplies
2 Mangos, peeled & sliced
2 Avocados, peeled and sliced
6 3"x2" ring molds or ramekins
Assembly:
If Using Ring Molds:
- Place ring molds in center of soup plate or other shallow bowl
- Fill mold with 1/2 C Crab Salad
- Top salad with 4 slices Mango
- Top mango with 4 slices Avocado
- Cover ring mold with plastic wrap and chill in fridge for at least 1 hour
If Using Ramekins:
- Line Ramekins with plastic wrap, allowing at least 2" overhang
- Place 4 slices Avocado in dish
- Top avocado with 4 slices Mango
- Cover mango with 1/2 C Crab Salad
- Cover salad with Plastic Wrap, and chill in fridge for at least 1 hour
Time to Eat:
Ring Molds:
- Pour 1/2 C Gazpacho around ring mold.
- With plastic wrap in place, and while softly pressing avocado, slowing remove ring.
- Remove plastic wrap.
- Top stack with Mango Salsa
Ramekins:
- Peel back plastic wrap
- Invert bowl over ramekin.
- With one hand on bottom of bowl and one hand on bottom of ramekin, flip bowl over
- Keeping plastic wrap in place, gently remove ramekin.
- Remove plastic wrap
- Pour 1/2 C Gazpacho around Stack
- Top stack with Mango Salsa
Serve with extra mango, avocado and salsa, and a loaf of warm crusty bread.
