Crab Salad With Asparagus Avocado And Lime Vinaigrette Recipes

CRAB AND AVOCADO SALAD

Steps:

• Bring a saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add the haricots verts and cook until crisp-tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Drain and run under cold water to stop the cooking.
• Puree the yogurt, mayonnaise, lemon juice, chives, basil and anchovies in a blender until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
• Toss the crabmeat, half of the avocado and about 1 tablespoon of the yogurt dressing in a small bowl. Toss the romaine, croutons, haricots verts and the remaining avocado with the remaining dressing in a large bowl.
• Divide the romaine salad among plates, top with the tomatoes and place some of the crab mixture in the center.

CRAB SALAD

Steps:

• Add all of the ingredients to a large bowl. Stir gently to combine.
• Serve immediately, or cover and chill for up to 2 days.
• Sprinkle with additional chopped dill for garnish if desired.

SHRIMP AND AVOCADO SALAD WITH GRAPEFRUIT VINAIGRETTE

Steps:

• Make vinaigrette:
• Whisk together vinaigrette ingredients with salt and pepper to taste.
• Assemble salad:
• Cut peel, including all white pith, from fruit with a sharp paring knife and cut segments free from membranes. Halve enough grapefruit segments to measure 1 1/2 cups (reserve any remaining segments for another use).
• Coarsely chop hazelnuts. Melt butter in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over moderate heat until foam subsides, then cook hazelnuts with salt and pepper to taste, stirring, until a shade darker, about 5 minutes. Transfer nuts to paper towels to cool, reserving skillet.
• Quarter avocados lengthwise, then pit and peel. Cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Drizzle with lime juice and season with salt and pepper.
• Pat shrimp dry and season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then sauté shrimp, turning them, until golden and just cooked through, about 3 minutes.
• Toss together spinach, half of grapefruit segments, and half of vinaigrette with salt and pepper to taste.
• Arrange avocados and remaining grapefruit on 4 plates and top with shrimp, salad, and sprouts. Spoon remaining vinaigrette over salad and sprinkle with nuts.

HONEY-LIME VINAIGRETTE

Steps:

• Blend lime juice, honey, sugar, mustard, garlic powder, salt, black pepper, and cumin in a blender; stream olive oil and canola oil into the juice mixture while blending to emulsify the oil into the juice.

SHRIMP AND AVOCADO SALAD WITH CITRUS VINAIGRETTE (CAMARONES A LA VINAGRETA)

Steps:

• Cook the shrimp: In a pot, combine 1 quart water with 1 tablespoon salt. Add peppercorns and bay leaves and bring to a boil over high heat.
• Prepare an ice bath: Add enough ice to a large bowl until half full. Sprinkle the ice with 2 tablespoons salt and top with enough cold water to cover. Set aside.
• When the water boils, stir the shrimp into the hot water and turn off the heat. Let cook until just pink and opaque, 1 to 2 minutes depending on size of shrimp. Drain shrimp and transfer to the ice bath. Stir well and set aside until shrimp are completely chilled, 3 to 5 minutes. Drain shrimp again and transfer to paper or kitchen towels to dry.
• Make the dressing: In a medium bowl, stir together tomatoes, red onion, oil, fruit juices, herbs and mustard. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add shrimp, toss to coat and chill for at least 1 hour (or up to 1 day).
• When ready to serve, peel and dice the avocado and fold into the shrimp salad. Serve chilled, in a serving bowl or on individual plates lined with lettuce leaves.

CRAB SALAD WITH ASPARAGUS, AVOCADO, AND LIME VINAIGRETTE

Steps:

• Make the vinaigrette: whisk together the lime juice, vinegar, lime zest, ginger, and honey in a bowl; whisk in the oils.
• Season to taste with salt and pepper; set aside.
• Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook asparagus until just tender, about 5 minutes.
• As soon as the asparagus are tender, scoop them out of the boiling water and immediately plunge them into a bowl of ice water.
• When the asparagus are cold, drain and toss them with 3 tablespoons of the vinaigrette; set aside.
• Toss the crabmeat with 3 tablespoons of the vinaigrette; set aside.
• In a big bowl, toss the Bibb lettuce leaves with 3 tablespoons of the vinaigrette.
• Plate the salad: divide the dressed Bibb lettuce leaves among 4 large chilled plates.
• Place an avocado half on top of the lettuce on each plate and drizzle the avocado with a little vinaigrette.
• Arrange a bundle of dressed asparagus next to the avocado half; divide the dressed crabmeat among the plates, draping it over the avocado and asparagus.
• Garnish with the grapefruit sections and serve.
• Serving suggestions: because the texture of this salad is soft, serve with crisp crackers or toasted bruschetta; also good beverage choice would be a Mimosa-orange juice and champagne.

DUNGENESS CRAB SALAD WITH AVOCADO, BEETS, CRèME FRAîCHE, AND LIME

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400°F.
• Cut the leaves from the beets, leaving 1 inch of stem still attached. (Save the greens for another dish.) Clean the beets well, and toss them with 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 teaspoon salt. Place the beets in a roasting pan with a splash of water in the bottom. Cover with foil, and roast 30 to 40 minutes, until tender when pierced. (The roasting time will depend on the size and type of beet.) When the beets are done, carefully remove the foil. Let cool, and peel the beets by slipping off the skins with your fingers. Cut the beets into 1/2-inch wedges. Toss them in a medium bowl with 1 tablespoon olive oil, a generous squeeze of lemon juice, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Taste for seasoning.
• While the beets are in the oven, combine the shallots, jalapeños, lime juice, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a small bowl, and let sit 5 minutes. Whisk in 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil. Taste for balance and seasoning.
• Cut the avocados in half lengthwise, remove the pit, and peel. Cut into 1/4-inch slices, and season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and freshly ground black pepper. Fan the avocado slices on one side of a chilled platter. Place the beets on the other side, and arrange the watercress in the center.
• Toss the crab gently with two-thirds of the jalapeño-lime vinaigrette, the parsley, and the cilantro in a large bowl. Taste the crab, and season with more salt or lime if you like. Pile the crab on the watercress, and top with the crème fraîche. Sprinkle a little cracked black pepper over the crème fraîche, and drizzle a little more vinaigrette over the avocado.