Summer Crab Salad with Carrots, Basil, and Lime

Name: Summer Crab Salad with Carrots, Basil, and Lime
Yield: makes 8 servings
Ingredients: 1/2 cup finely diced carrots; Juice of 2 limes (about 4 tablespoons); 1 teaspoon finely grated lime zest; 2 medium shallots, minced; 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar; 1/3 cup good-quality olive oil; Salt and pepper; Hot sauce; 3 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh basil; 2-3 tablespoons minced scallions; 1 pound jumbo lump crabmeat (Blue or Dungeness), well picked for shells; 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped capers; 1 head Bibb lettuce, cleaned and dried; 1 avocado (preferably Hass), sliced or diced; Basil sprigs, as garnish

December 14, 2011

All along the Gulf Coast, crab is plentiful and almost cheap during the summer. It has a luxurious flavor, but it’s still light, and in this ceviche-like salad the lime and basil enhance the warm-weather flavors. The salty capers are a good foil for the sweetness of the crab and carrots. Serve this refreshing combination on lettuce leaves, as described below, or in a parfait or martini glass, garnished with a wedge of lime and some tortilla chips.

Cooks' Note

I prefer the texture of finely diced carrots in this salad. However, they need to be blanched, then shocked in ice water, before you use them, to ensure that the texture is not too dramatically different from that of the other ingredients in the salad. Raw carrots with too much crunch would take away from the elegance of this salad.

Recipe notes

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