Crab and Asparagus Salad

File under: Take One Ingredient - Asparagus

Sometimes when we have friends over, I have a good idea as to what I'd like to cook for them.  Other times, I have no idea and have to trust my instincts when it comes to shopping.  Well, we had friends over the other weekend and it was definitely one of those 'Other Times'.

Come Saturday morning, I trundled off to the village to see what was to be had - I had a notion of doing something very English and very seasonal and wasn't disappointed. 
First call was at the fishmongers - I've learned to try and get there early as the best stuff does go first.  He had some lovely looking dressed crabs available - and crab is in season so it seemed like a no-brainer.  I prefer to buy crab and lobster while still alive, but in deepest Surrey,  this is rarely an option, so freshly dressed is what it has to be.
At this point, I had in my mind a crab salad starter - perhaps livened with ginger, chilli and lime juice.  But then in the greengrocers was a box of fantastic fresh English asparagus - so that's what it had to be.  I was sure I could do something with such good ingredients.  Then the greengrocer mentioned her new English tomatoes - apparently very tasty even so early in the season.  The idea was beginning to gel.

After a trip to the butchers for a loin of pork to be cooked with fennel, I had a mile walk back with the baby to contemplate the crab and asparagus salad.  In the end, a success I'm glad to report. 

Crab and Asparagus Salad
2 small crabs, dressed
12 mid-sized spears of asparagus, gently boiled until tender
1/2 lemon
1 quantity (1 egg's-worth) homemade mayonnaise (use this recipe without the basil and only a small squeeze of lemon)
Salt, pepper and a spash of tobasco
2 tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped into 1/2cm dice
Parsley oil to dress*

In a bowl, mix all of the white meat and about 1/3 of the brown meat (saving the rest for a sandwich tomorrow...).  Reserve four spears of asparagus and all the tips and slice the remaining stalks into thin rounds.  Add to the crab.  Squeeze in the lemon and add enough mayonnaise to bind.  Season with salt, pepper and a dash of tobasco.  Fill four ramekins with the mixture, cover and refrigerate.
When you're ready to serve, you can take a view as to whether the salads are firm enough to unmould on the plate, or leave in the ramekins  Mine wouldn't hold their shape so remained in their glass pots.

Arrange the tomatoes and remaining asparagus spears on the plates, top the crab with the asparagus tips and trickle the parsley oil round the plates.

Serves 4. 

*Parsely oil:  Simply whiz chopped parsley with olive oil in a blender - the same can be done with other soft herbs such as chervil or basil for example. 

tags: asparagus  

links: digg this    del.icio.us    technorati    reddit