Crab Mayonnaise With Melba Toast Herb Salad Recipes

CRAB MAYONNAISE WITH MELBA TOAST & HERB SALAD

Steps:

• To make the crab mayonnaise, put the egg yolk and mustard in a medium bowl and whisk together. Add a drop of the oil and whisk until completely combined. Gradually add the oil, a drop at a time, then in a thin trickle, whisking continuously until you have a thick mayonnaise. Whisk in the lemon zest and juice, stir in the crabmeat and season to taste. This mix can be made a few hours ahead and kept in the fridge.
• For the Melba toast, heat the grill to high. Place the bread on a baking sheet and toast on both sides until lightly browned. Cut the crusts off the toast, then carefully cut through the middle of each slice horizontally to give you 2 thin slices. Cut each of these into 4 triangles. Put the triangles, untoasted-side up, on the baking sheet and place back under the grill to brown - if they curl up slightly, all the better. The toast can be made a day ahead and kept in an airtight container.
• Assemble the herb salad just before serving: put all the herbs in a bowl, add the shallot and capers, then dress with olive oil and vinegar. Toss everything together until well mixed and you're ready to serve. See our step-by-step guide to plating up..

CRAB SALAD ON BRIOCHE TOAST

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the crab, mayonnaise, wasabi, 3/4 of the chopped apples, all of the fennel (including green tops), the radishes, juice and zest of 1 Meyer lemon, and salt, to taste. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
• In a small bowl, combine the remaining chopped apples with remaining lemon juice and zest. Season with salt, to taste, and set aside for garnish.
• Toast: Remove the crusts from the brioche and cut into 3/4-inch thick slices. Stack the slices and cut into 1 1/2-inch squares. Alternately, you could use a cookie cutter to make circles or other small shapes of your choice. You should have about 48 pieces when finished.
• Working in batches, melt some of the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the brioche, in batches, and toast until golden brown, turning over and adding more butter, if necessary. Repeat with remaining butter and brioche. Toasts can be made up to 48 hours in advance and stored in an airtight container at room temperature.
• To serve, put a rounded tablespoon of crab salad on each brioche toast and top with a sprinkling of chopped lemon-marinated apples.

HERBED MELBA TOASTS

Steps:

• In a small bowl stir together the butter, the dill, the thyme, and salt and pepper to taste. Roll each slice of bread as thin as possible with a rolling pin and trim and discard the crusts. Brush both sides of the bread with the butter mixture, cut each slice diagonally into 2 triangles, and bake the triangles on a baking sheet in the middle of a preheated 350°F. oven, turning them once, for 15 minutes, or until they are browned lightly and crisp. Let the toasts cool on the rack.

MEL'S CRAB SALAD

Steps:

• Gently mix flaked imitation crab, celery, ranch dressing, mayonnaise, sugar, and parsley in a salad bowl until thoroughly combined. Refrigerate overnight, stirring occasionally. Stir again just before serving.

CRAB SALAD WITH LEMON-MAYONNAISE DRESSING

Steps:

• Fill a large bowl with cold water and ice cubes. Trim the ends of the haricots verts, if desired.
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the haricots verts and cook for about 1 minute, just until bright green; use tongs to transfer the beans to the ice-water bath to stop their cooking. Transfer them to a clean, dry dish towel, wrap them up and refrigerate until ready to use.
• While the haricots verts are cooking, dry-toast the walnuts in a small skillet over medium-low heat for 3 to 4 minutes, shaking or stirring to make sure they do not burn. Remove from the heat; when the nuts have cooled slightly, chop them coarsely and place half of them in a large bowl.
• Finely grate the zest of 2 lemons (there should be 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons), then cut the lemons in half and juice 3 halves (there should be about 3 tablespoons); reserve the remaining 1/2 lemon for another use.
• Combine the egg yolk, mustard and 2 tablespoons of the lemon juice in a medium mixing bowl or 2-cup glass measuring cup. Slowly whisk in the oil until the mixture is emulsified and quite thick. Add up to 2 tablespoons of lemon juice; add a tablespoon or two of water if a thinner consistency is desired. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Use a Microplane grater or zester to pulp the garlic cloves, working over the large bowl to catch any juices; then add the garlic pulp. Cut the cucumber into 1/2-inch dice (there should be about 2 1/2 cups) and add it to the bowl, along with the crabmeat and the lemon zest. Add the dressing and toss gently to combine.
• Wash and dry the lettuce and watercress leaves, discarding any tough watercress stems; tear the lettuce into bite-size pieces. Place the greens in a mixing bowl and drizzle with the walnut oil and the remaining 1 tablespoon of lemon juice.
• Distribute evenly among individual plates, then divide the haricots verts evenly and place them neatly on the greens; drizzle them with oil, if desired. Divide the dressed cucumber-crab mixture among the salads. Sprinkle the remaining chopped walnuts over the salads. Serve immediately.

MELBA TOAST

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Slice bread very thinly, then cut into 3-by-2-inch pieces. Arrange bread slices on a baking sheet.
• Toast bread in oven, flipping slices halfway through, until dry, about 2 hours.