Crab Mango and Avocado Salad Recipe

Ingredients

For the sauce:
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 ripe mango, peeled, pitted and diced
1/4 cup of water
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

For the salad:
1 lb of fresh lump Dungeness crabmeat, picked through to remove the small pieces of shell or cartilage
1 1/2 Tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice
3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp cilantro leaves, finely chopped
2 teaspoons mint leaves, finely chopped
1 Tbsp minced shallot or purple onion
1 medium sized mango, peeled, pitted, and diced (See How to Cut a Mango)
1 firm but ripe avocado, pitted, peeled, and diced
Tabasco sauce
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Optional: ruby red grapefruit sections, peeled
Method

Sauce directions:

Heat the olive oil in a small pan over medium heat. Add the mango, season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, for about 3 minutes until the fruit is very tender. Add water, bring to a boil and remove from heat. Stir in lemon juice. Pour the mixture into a blender and purée until smooth. Chill.

Alternatively, if you are pressed for time, put all of the sauce ingredients into a blender and purée.

Crab salad directions:

In a bowl add the crab meat, 2 tsp of the cilantro, 1 tsp of the mint, the chopped shallot, a Tbsp of lime juice, 2 Tbsp of olive oil, 10 drops of Tabasco sauce, and salt and pepper to taste. Mix carefully with a fork, to avoid breaking up the larger lumps of crab meat. Set aside.

In a separate bowl add the mango, avocado, 1 Tbsp olive oil, 1/2 Tbsp of lime juice, the remaining cilantro and mint leaves, 10 drops of Tabasco, and salt and pepper to taste. Mix gently with a spoon, taking care not to mush the avocado pieces.

Using small tureens or desert bowls for individual molds, layer the crab mixture and the mango avocado mixture. It doesn’t really matter which you layer first. In the photo above I’ve layered the mango avocado mixture first. Chill in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 hours.

When you are ready to serve, gently remove the salads from the molds onto individual plates. Serve the sauce on the side. Garnish with cilantro leaves. For a tasty added touch if you have them, arrange peeled sections of ruby red grapefruit around the salads. The grapefruit provides a flavorful complement to the crab salad.

Serves 4.

Cucumber Avocado Salad

INGREDIENTS
1 cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
1/3 cup fresh dill, chopped
1 clove garlic, quartered
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 ripe avocado - peeled, pitted and chopped
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
DIRECTIONS
Place the cucumber, onion, dill, garlic, sugar, and salt in a mixing bowl, and toss. Refrigerate for 20 minutes.
Gently toss the avocado with the cucumber mixture. Refrigerate mixture 10 minutes more. Remove from the refrigerator, and drain. Remove and discard garlic. Toss the cucumber mixture again with the red wine vinegar.

Marinated Green Beans with Olives, Tomatoes, and Feta

NGREDIENTS
2 pounds fresh green beans, trimmed
1/4 cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup kalamata olives, pitted and sliced
2 tomatoes, seeded and chopped
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 (8 ounce) package crumbled feta
1 bunch fresh oregano sprigs
DIRECTIONS
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over medium heat and drop in the green beans; cook until slightly tender, but still crisp, 8 to 10 minutes. Immediately drain the green beans and plunge into ice water to stop the beans from cooking further. Drain the beans and place them in a shallow serving dish.
Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook garlic in the oil for about 30 seconds. Remove the skillet from the heat. Stir in the olives, tomatoes, vinegar, oregano, salt, and pepper. Pour mixture over green beans. Toss together until beans are evenly coated. Sprinkle feta cheese over the top and garnish with oregano sprigs. Chill at least 3 hours before serving.

‘I Hate Cucumbers!’ Cucumber Salad

INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons white sugar
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon dried dill weed
1/4 cup mayonnaise
5 cucumbers, scored and thinly sliced
1 stalk celery, thinly sliced
1/2 red onion, chopped
salt to taste
DIRECTIONS
Stir together vinegar, sugar, pepper, and dill in a large bowl until the sugar has dissolved. Stir in the mayonnaise until smooth, then add cucumbers, celery, and red onion until evenly coated with the dressing. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour. Season to taste with salt and stir once again before serving.

Grilled Tomato, Onion, and Bread Salad

INGREDIENTS
2 red onions, sliced 1/2 inch thick
8 plum (Roma) tomatoes, cored
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
4 cups cubed Italian bread
2 teaspoons dried thyme leaves
salt and pepper to taste
1 cucumber, peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded, and cut into 1/2 inch slices
1/2 cup shredded fresh basil
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil

DIRECTIONS
Preheat an outdoor grill for medium-high heat.
Brush the onion slices and tomatoes with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and set aside. Drizzle another 2 tablespoons of olive oil over the cubed bread in a large bowl. Sprinkle with thyme, salt, and pepper; toss well. Skewer the bread cubes with metal skewers.
Grill bread on preheated grill until golden brown on all sides, about 3 minutes. Grill onions and tomatoes until soft, about 5 minutes.
Chop the roasted onions and tomatoes into large pieces, and place into a large bowl along with the toasted bread, cucumber, and basil. Whisk the vinegar together with the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil to make a dressing. Pour over the salad, and toss to coat.