Crab and citrus salad
This citrussy crab salad from Ashley Palmer-Watts is the perfect summer dish. Picked crab meat is tossed with crisp Granny Smith apple, cucumber, plenty of herbs and an ultra citrussy dressing. Homemade pickled lemons bring an extra pop to the final dish - although this recipe makes more than you need, these are an incredibly versatile ingredient.
Ingredients
Metric
Imperial
For the pickled lemons
- 300ml of water
- 100g of caster sugar
- 200ml of white wine vinegar
- 4 Amalfi lemons
For the citrus dressing
- 90ml of extra virgin olive oil
- 20g of orange juice
- 20g of lemon juice
- 5g of Dijon mustard
- 5g of sugar
For the crab salad
- 180g of picked crab meat
- 65g of mayonnaise
- 60g of cucumber, diced into 1/2cm pieces
- 60g of Granny Smith apple, diced into 1/2cm pieces
- 20g of finely chopped shallot
- 20g of pickled lemon
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 5g of chervil, chopped
- 2g of tarragon
- 5g of salt
- freshly ground black pepper
For serving
- 1 Granny Smith apple
- 200g of mixed bitter leaves, such as castel franco, trevise, wild trevise, chicory
Equipment
- Kilner jar
Method
For the pickled lemons, bring the water and sugar to the boil over a medium heat, stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar
- 300ml of water
- 100g of caster sugar
Remove the simple syrup from the heat, and stir in the white wine vinegar. Set aside to cool
- 200ml of white wine vinegar
Cut the top off the lemons and then, using a mandolin, slice into 2 mm thick round slices. Discard any pips as you go
Place the slices into a sterile Kilner jar and pour the cooled pickle over the lemons
Place into the fridge for 24 hours before using
For the citrus dressing, place all ingredients into a jar and shake to emulsify. Keep in the fridge until required
- 90ml of extra virgin olive oil
- 20g of orange juice
- 20g of lemon juice
- 5g of Dijon mustard
- 5g of sugar
For the crab salad, carefully mix all ingredients in a bowl and place in the fridge for 2 hours before serving. This allows the salad to macerate and become more delicious
- 180g of picked crab meat
- 65g of mayonnaise
- 60g of cucumber, diced into 1/2cm pieces
- 60g of Granny Smith apple, diced into 1/2cm pieces
- 20g of finely chopped shallot
- 20g of pickled lemon
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 5g of chervil, chopped
- 2g of tarragon
- 5g of salt
- freshly ground black pepper
When ready to serve, place 100g of crab salad in an even layer in the centre of each plate
Cut the sides of the apple from around the core, then thinly slice the pieces using a sharp knife or mandolin
Mix the apple slices with the bitter leaves. Shake the citrus dressing to re-emulsify it, and then dress the apple and greens generously. Season with a little salt and freshly ground pepper
- 200g of mixed bitter leaves, such as castel franco, trevise, wild trevise, chicory
Place the leaves and apple over the crab salad, then drizzle a final spoonful of citrus dressing over the leaves and the crab to finish
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