Dungeness Crab Spring Salad

It's time to get all fancy pants with a salad recipe that couldn't be simpler to put together. How simple? From fridge to plate in 5 minutes flat, that simple.

Do you ever fantasize about throwing these glamorous dinner parties that leave your guests wondering how on earth you pulled off such an elegant affair with such grace and effortlessness? I used to, quite often. And then I would proceed to try although I don't know with how much grace and effortlessness I succeeded...

I absolutely adored throwing impromptu food gatherings, I just lived for it. A motley crew would assemble, and we would all converge in my pretty little garden at the table with the mismatched chairs and dine from mismatched plates, creating a cool Mad Hatter's tea party sort of vibe. Italian feasts, signature cocktails, shrimp boils and multi-course mimosa bar brunches- there was always something tasty going on.

But now that I get paid to prepare other people's dinner parties, and as my business grows and my free time shrinks, playing hostess has become quite the rarity. It makes me a little sad, but then I remind myself that since I get to make food for a living it doesn't really feel like work, and that cheers me right back up. Nonetheless, I need to get back into the whole dinner party thing, it really is the best thing ever. In the meantime though, at least I can live vicariously through this blog and pretend what I would serve at my next dinner party, and right now it would be this colorful Dungeness Crab Salad.

You would be wise to keep this recipe in your back pocket- what a stunning first course. I mean, it doesn't get much more fabulous than Dungeness crab, does it? Plus, it's a cinch to prepare. Choose fresh lump crabmeat from your local fish market, that way you can skip the messy job of removing the meat from the shells and keep your apron spotless. Pair it with delicate butter lettuce, crisp spring radishes, creamy avocado and sweet mango for a perfectly balanced dish. A simple honey-lime vinaigrette is all you need to enhance these flavors, but a glass of zesty Sauvignon Blanc wouldn't hurt either! Right now I'm loving the 2012 Sauv from Fox Wine Co.- it's a great warm weather wine with a nice mineral streak that plays well with the briny crab, and the tropical notes compliment the mango element of the salad perfectly.

serves 4
Ingredients

1/4 cup olive oil
2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp. honey
2 tbsp. lime juice
zest of 1 lime
salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 lb. cooked Dungeness crab, chilled
1 head butter lettuce, leaves rinsed and torn
2 radishes, thinly sliced
1 avocado, thinly sliced
1 mango, thinly sliced
1 tbsp. minced chives

Instructions
1. In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, vinegar, honey, lime zest and juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Place crab in a separate bowl and pour half of dressing into the bowl, tossing to combine with the crab. Reserve the other half of vinaigrette.
2. Divide lettuce, mango, avocado and radish evenly among plates. Top with dressed crab and drizzle the remaining vinaigrette over each salad. Garnish with chives.

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Dungeness Crab & Corn Chowder

First thing's first. Today my blog hit a little milestone: it reached 20,000 page views! In some ways that's a small number when you consider the fact that other sites exceed that many page views a day, but then I try to picture 20K of anything- people, dollars, jelly beans...and my mind is kind of blown. It's mucho, you guys.

So I just wanted to put a great big THANK YOU out into the world to anyone who has taken a moment out of their day to pop over into my world for a bit and take a look at what's cooking in my kitchen, which today happens to be a hearty, zesty, yummy (and spicy if you're all about the Cholula like I am) Crab & Corn Chowder.

It comes together in a flash with tons of seafood flavor thanks to the fresh, succulent, Dungeness crab I purchased at the seafood counter (precooked, so no messy shells to deal with). Feel free to dress this chowder up however you'd like, it would be heavenly served up in a sourdough bread bowl, but I'm partial to a sprinkle of crisp, green scallions and a healthy dousing of hot sauce. 

makes about 1 1/2 quarts
Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
4-6 baby red potatoes, diced
3 ribs celery, chopped
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 dried bay leaf
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon Old Bay or other seafood seasoning blend
3 tablespoons flour
2 cups chicken broth
3 cups whole milk
2 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels
8 ounces cooked lump dungeness crab
2 tablespoons scallions, thinly sliced
Hot sauce and lemon, to taste

Instructions
1. Heat a stock pot over medium heat and add oil and butter.
2. Add potatoes, celery, onion and bay leaf to the pot and season with salt, pepper and Old Bay. Sauté until onions and celery soften, about 5 minutes.
3. Add flour to pot and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Stir in broth and milk and bring soup to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until soup thickens slightly, about 5-10 minutes.
4. Add corn and crab meat and simmer soup for another 5 minutes.
5. Remove bay leaf before serving. Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with hot sauce, a squeeze of lemon and sliced scallions.

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