Deviled Crab Meat and Chicory Salad with Egg Dressing
/Summary: This is a deliciously indulgent way to enjoy fresh crab meat! Recipe by David Tanis.
Yield: serves 4-6
Ingredients:
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 3 large egg yolks
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon dry mustard
- ½ teaspoon salt
- pinch of cayenne pepper
- black pepper, to taste
- 1 tablespoon fruity extra virgin olive oil
- 8 ounces mixed salad greens like treviso, radicchio, Belgian endive and frisée, cut into 1" ribbons
- ½ cup thinly sliced celery and leaves, from tender inner stalks
- 1 pound fresh jumbo lump crab meat
- 2 tablespoons snipped chives
- 1 small Meyer lemon, cut in very thin slices, then half-moons, optional
Instructions:
Make the dressing: Heat the cream to just under a boil, using a small pan over medium heat. Take off the heat. In a small stainless steel, Pyrex or ceramic mixing bowl, beat together the egg yolks, vinegar and lemon juice with a wire whisk. Whisk in the Dijon mustard, dry mustard, salt, cayenne and black pepper.
Place the mixing bowl in a pan of simmering water (or use a double boiler). Whisking constantly, add the hot cream in a slow stream. Continue to whisk, taking care not to let the mixture curdle, until the sauce looks like a thick milkshake, about 2-3 minutes.
Remove the sauce from the heat and whisk in the olive oil. Transfer to a chilled container and refrigerate. The dressing will thicken a bit more when cold. Can be made a day in advance; makes about 1 cup.
Make the salad: Put the chicories or salad greens and celery in a large salad bowl. Sprinkle with a little salt and dress with about 2 T of the dressing. Mix the remaining dressing with the crab meat, folding gently to incorporate. To serve, put dressed salad greens on individual plates and top with a large spoonful of crab meat. Garnish with chives and thin slices of Meyer lemon if desired.