Crab Salad | Alaskan Harvest Seafood Blog

Spring Crab Salad with Rice

This is a light and beautiful dish, perfect for springtime brunches or those first outdoor meals of the season. If you don’t have access to good crab, try substituting shrimp or salmon. Even smoked salmon can be a delicious alternative to the sweetness of crab.

You will need:

1/4 lb. fresh asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2-inch spears
1/4 lb. snow peas, rinsed and chopped in half (green peas will work - discard the pods or use the frozen, bagged variety)
2 small carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
3 c cooked rice - I like to use leftover rice for salads, but freshly steamed will work just as well
1 plump ripe slicing tomato, or two roma tomatoes, finely chopped
1/4 cup minced parsley
3/4 lb. crab meat, precooked (or steamed directly before assembling the salad)
sprigs of basil, chives, and tarragon for garnish
1/4 c olive oil
3 T lemon juice
1 tsp mustard
2 tsp minced thyme, chives, and basil
salt and pepper

1. Combine the last four ingredients in a small bowl and whisk them together to make the dressing.

2. Bring a small pan of water to a boil. Have a bowl of ice water on hand for blanching. Add the asparagus to the pot once it boils, and cook for one minute, or until the color brightens and they are soft but still have some crunch to them. Remove with a slotted spoon and dunk in the ice bath.

3. Repeat with the peas and carrots, cooking each just until tender but still crunchy. Drain the cooled vegetables well.

4. Mix together the rice, cooked vegetables, tomato, parsley, and crab. Drizzle with the dressing and stir gently to combine. Serve on chilled plates with herbs for garnish.

Optional add-ins: very thinly sliced raw celery, water chestnuts, chunked hard-boiled eggs, sunflower seeds, and chopped scallions.

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Purple Belgian Endive and Crab Salad

Filed under: Dungeness Crab Recipes, King Crab Recipes, Seafood Recipes — Tags: appetizer, Belgian endive, Crab, crab recipe, crab salad, endive, holiday starter, quick seafood, Seafood, seafood salad —

This salad makes a great appetizer for dinner parties or holiday meals. The flavors are bright and tangy, and it’s both quick to make and very beautiful. Be sure to use Belgian endive leaves that have a lot of magenta to them for the strongest visual effect. I have adapted this recipe somewhat; the original comes from a thoughtful cookbook on healthy eating in which all of the dishes are organized according to color. This was listed under the “Autumn” section of “Purple and blue,” along with recipes involving purple cabbage, capsicum, figs, grapes, currants, and eggplant. This serves four.

You will need:

2 heads purple-tipped Belgian endive, leaves removed and rinsed
4 tsp rice wine vinegar
1 lb. fresh or thawed lump crabmeat
1 T minced fresh tarragon
2 T olive oil
1 T mayonnaise
2 tsp chopped capers
Tabasco sauce
Worcestershire sauce
1 T lemon juice
salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Chill four salad plates. Arrange three or four endive leaves on each plate. Coarsely chop the rest of the leaves and toss them into loose beds atop the arrangements.

2. Combine the rest of the ingredients in a bowl and season to taste – 2 or more healthy shakes of Tabasco, and a single shake of Worcestershire ought to be enough. Some measure hot sauce by the drop; I like to overdo it. Only mix until well combined – too much handling can make the crabmeat mushy.

3. Divide the crab mixture equally between the plates and mound it up on the piles of endive. Crack some more pepper over the top, or sprinkle with paprika and more lemon juice.

Serve immediately. This pairs well with hot crusty bread and olive oil for dipping, and with minerally white wines, such as some Pinot Grigios. Follow up with warmer fare, like soup with dumplings or mushroom ragout and polenta.