Silvia et le Roi – Salade de crabe, pamplemousse, endives, avocat et  grenade avec vinaigrette d’agrumes

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Lately I have been going crazy with all the beautiful king crab legs you can buy anywhere, it’s crab season and I am not going to miss this. I had crab about three times this week and I will not stop there. I think I am getting addicted to it. Crab is a delight for all seafood and crustacean lovers, besides it has a lot of proteins and vitamins. I bought a whole leg that weighted one pound, and was enough meat for 4 people. I have an original salad that I make quite often with grapefruit and smoke salmon and/or shrimps with a tangerine/chive vinaigrette. This time I used crab made a few changes in the dressing and it was just as delicious. The lady at the fish department seemed to be from China and could barely speak English but she knew certainly her crab, she was so excited to add that huge piece of the top meaty part (it’s the part where the leg starts) it looks like a huge joint and is filled with beautiful white meat.

In France “crab” is the global name of a category that regroups different species and the most popular kind we find is called “tourteau”. Tourteau is a type of crab that is very resistant when they’re kept out of water. When you go to the fish market, the crabs and lobsters are most of the time alive, you buy them alive and you cook them at home. I understand that for most people, it seems cruel to put a live crab in boiling water and watch it die. At least, you know it’s fresh. But when you think about the whole process, it is quite barbaric.

Ingredients for the salad – 4 people

  • 1 lbs of crab meat
  • 1 large pink grapefruit
  • 1 large pomegranate
  • 2 belgian endives
  • handful of rucola

Ingredients for the vinaigrette

  • 2 scallions, chopped
  • 2 tbs cilantro
  • juice of 1 lemon
  • hot chili pepper
  • 3 tbs extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tbs grapefruit juice or 1 tbs orange juice
  • salt and pepper

Instructions

Remove the meat from the crab legs and set aside. Peel the grapefruit, removing the skin, keep the juice. Try not to break the quarters. Take the seeds out of the pomegranate. Wash the endives and cut them 5 mm thick (not lengthwise). Add all the ingredients in a bowl. In a separate bowl, add the ingredients for the vinaigrette and mix well. Add to the salad. Toss and serve.