Looking for new ways to eat crab outside of the traditional crab boil? Impress your friends with this haute cuisine. With mango, cucumber, crab and shrimp, this is a cool Louisiana riff on a classic and refreshing summer combination. If you like the recipe, then check out Louisiana Cookin' magazine. Subscribe with the promotion code wwoz2011, and they'll donate $5 to WWOZ.
Courtesy of Chef Justin Ferguson, Stroubes Chop House, Baton Rouge, LA
Makes 4 servings
Ingredients
1 pound Louisiana jumbo lump crabmeat, picked over for cartilage
1 mango, peeled, cut into 1/4 inch dice
Citrus Dressing (recipe follows)
4 colossal (U–15) Louisiana shrimp, peeled and deveined, leaving tail intact
1 tablespoon olive oil
pinch of salt
pinch of freshly ground black pepper
1 large English cucumber, sliced into 4 long paper thin sheets (use a mandolin)
4 long, uncut chives
1 teaspoon thinly sliced chives
Gently toss the crabmeat and mangoes with 8 tablespoons of the dressing, taking care not to break up the crabmeat. Set aside.
Prepare an indoor or outdoor grill for indirect cooking. Coat the shrimp with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place the shrimp on the grill and cook for 90 seconds on each side until shells just turn pink.
To assemble, for each serving make a circle with a cucumber sheet and gently tie with a stem of chive. Fill with crab salad, sprinkle with chives. Artfully arrange 1 shrimp with each portion.
Citrus Dressing
Makes About 1 1/2 cups
juice of 4 limes
1/3 cup, plus 2 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons coarse Dijon mustard
pinch of salt
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Combine the lime juice, honey, mustard, and salt. Slowly whisk in the oil or emulsify with an immersion blender.
PAIR WITH: Conundrum by Caymus Vineyards