Crab and Avocado Salad

Crab and avocado are great on their own. Combined, they make a great salad. The version here is for a main course, but you could leave out the egg and potato for a lighter starter. You could also substitute the crab for any other crustacean… prawn, brown shrimp, langoustine etc.

Always use ripe avocado. You can tell they are ripe when they give gently when squeezed – but they should not feel mushy. If they are under ripe leave them with other fruit (not in the fridge) for a couple of days.

The other ingredient offering choices is the crab. Crabmeat comes in two colours, Brown and white. Brown is body meat which is soft and creamy. It also tastes more crabby. White meat is leg meat. It has more texture and a more subtle flavour… it is also more expensive. . For this recipe the tubs of prepared white crabmeat are fine. My favourite comes from Orkney.

For two persons:

For the salad:

• One Little Gem lettuce or other salad leafs.
• One tub white crabmeat
• One large or two small avocados
• Two cooled hard boiled eggs
• Two cooled boiled potatoes or a small new potatoes.

For the dressing:

• 1 part organic cider vinegar (one tablespoon)
• 2 parts olive oil (two tablespoons)
• ¼ teaspoon of Dijon mustard

Method:

• Make the dressing by mixing all the ingredients in a cup or small bowl. Adjust the flavour to suit your taste by varying the ratios.  Add a dash of tobacco or chili sauce if you like a spicy dressing. Set aside.
• Trim and wash the lettuce and spread on two plates.

• Half the avocados lengthways and remove the seeds. Scoop out the flesh using a spoon. Don’t worry if it breaks up a little. Cut the flesh into 1-2 cm pieces.

• Push the egg through a sieve using the back of a spoon. This will produce yellow and white strands that compliment the flavour and texture of shellfish.

• Put the diced avocado, sieved egg and crabmeat in a large bowl and very gently fold them together. You want the egg and crab to coat the avocado pieces, but you don't want to crush the individual ingredients together.
• Cut the potatoes into 2 cm pieces and sprinkle them over the lettuce leafs.
• Sprinkle the avocado and crab mixture over the potatoes.
• Drizzle the dressing on top and enjoy with a glass of chilled white wine.