Now that the “Season” is in full swing, lunches on the porch, patio, deck around the pool is a wonderful relaxed way to entertain your friends. These two seafood salads are real crowd pleasers as a main course for lunch. Or make small portions for a first course followed by lamb, pork, steak, or chicken as the main course.
Buy jumbo lump-meat crab if possible for lovely pieces of crab with very little shells to deal with. Lobster is a good substitute, if you prefer.
Buy frozen shrimp, defrost them in the refrigerator, rinse, and drain well. Before sautéing, pat the shrimp very dry with paper towels to prevent spattering in the skillet. Pass crusty Tuscan bread and pour ice-cold sauvignon Blanc or white wine to complete the menu for lunch. Bon appétit!
Serves four, as main course or six as first course
1 1/2 pounds jumbo lump meat crab, picked over for shells and refrigerated
1 large firm ripe avocado (preferably Haas) or more if needed, peeled and diced
Juice of one lime for rolling avocado
2 medium red beets, roasted and peeled, cut into approximately 1/2-inch by 1-inch sticks
1 large firm ripe mango or more if needed, peeled and diced
1 large head red leaf lettuce, (or mixture of greens) washed and spun dry, torn into bite-sized pieces
1 medium red onion, sliced thin
1/2 bunch fresh cilantro leaves or flat leaf parsley leaves, stems removed
Optional: 3 ears corn on the cob, cooked and kernels cut off
1 cup corn tortilla strips
For the dressing:
1 tablespoon good quality mayonnaise
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed limejuice or more to taste
1 teaspoon curry powder or more to taste
About 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil to taste
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
To prepare:
In a small bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, mustard, limejuice and curry powder until blended. Slowly add olive oil until the mixture becomes an emulsion. Taste, season with salt and pepper, and adjust the seasonings. Transfer and refrigerate until serving time.
For the salad: Using your fingers, check over crabmeat for shells and refrigerate until assembly. Peel, slice and dice avocado, roll in limejuice and reserve. Cut cooked beets into “sticks,” peel, slice and dice mango, and reserve. Tear lettuce into bite-sized pieces, slice onion, and cut kernels off the corncob using and reserve.
To assemble: In a large mixing bowl, toss lettuce, onion, and cilantro together until well mixed. Drizzle a little olive oil on the greens until they glisten.
Divide the greens and herb mixture among salad plates. Toss avocado, beets, mango and corn (if using) together and scatter vegetables over the greens, then place crabmeat and tortilla chips on top. Drizzle about two tablespoons dressing on each salad and pass remainder of the dressing at the table.
Related Recipes:
Shrimp Scampi on Chiffonade of Romaine with Herbs and Cherry Tomatoes