Crab Salad with Meyer Lemon, Endive, and Watercress
- 1 large Dungeness crab (about 1 3/4 pounds)
- 2 large handfuls watercress (about 1 bunch)
- 2 shallots
- 2 Meyer lemons
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Champagne vinegar
- 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 4 Belgian endives
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
- Add the crab and cook for 13 minutes.
- Drain and let cool.
- Lift the carapace and clean the crab of all the butter and lungs inside.
- Break the crab in half.
- Separate the legs from the body and crack them open.
- Extract all the leg meat carefully; try to keep it intact.
- Next, split the body and pick out all its meat.
- Go through all the crabmeat after it is picked to remove any stray shell fragments.
- Set the crabmeat aside in the refrigerator.
- Remove any tough stems from the watercress.
- Wash and dry it well.
- Peel and finely dice the shallots.
- Carefully peel the zest from the lemons with a sharp vegetable peeler, being sure to take only the yellow peel and none of bitter white pith.
- If you do end up with some pith, pare it away with a sharp paring knife.
- Cut the pieces of zest crosswise into a julienne and combine with the shallots in a small bowl.
- Season generously with salt and freshly ground pepper.
- Squeeze the lemons and add about 5 tablespoons of the juice to the bowl with the shallots and lemon zest.
- Add the Champagne vinegar, mix well, and let sit for at least 1/2 hour to macerate.
- Whisk in the olive oil; taste for salt, pepper, and acid and adjust as needed.
- When you are ready to serve the salad, remove any blemished outer leaves from the endives.
- Cut them in half lengthwise and remove the cores, then cut lengthwise into strips.
- Put them in a serving bowl with the watercress, crab, and vinaigrette and toss well.
- Arrange on a platter or individual plates and serve immediately.
crab, handfuls, shallots, lemons, salt, vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, endives
Taken from www.cookstr.com/recipes/crab-salad-with-meyer-lemon-endive-and-watercress (may not work)