Dungeness
Crab* with Mango and
Celery Root Salad
By John Ash - Fetzer Vineyards,
Hopland, CA
Serves
8 (as a starter course)
Ingredients
for the celery root and apple salad:
Celery root can vary widely. Pick
ones that are heavy for their size, which means there
wonít be a hole in the center. Taste the celery
root after cutting and, if it seems tough or too strongly
flavored, blanch it for a few seconds in salted boiling
water followed by a dunk in ice water to retain its crunch.
1
small celery root (about 1/2 lb.)
2/3 C mayonnaise
2 T buttermilk
1 1/2 T whole grain mustard
1 1/2 T smooth Dijon mustard
2 t fresh lemon juice
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Big pinch hot paprika or cayenne pepper
1 small Fuji or other tart-sweet apple peeled, cored,
julienned
Procedures:
Peel the celery root, thinly slice it into rounds and
then cut into thin julienne. In a separate bowl, mix together
mayonnaise, buttermilk, mustards and lemon juice until
smooth. Season to taste with salt, pepper and paprika.
Set 1/4 cup aside to mix with crab. Gently stir celery
root and apple into remaining mayonnaise mixture to evenly
coat. Chill at least 1 hour ahead to allow flavors to
develop. This salad may be made a day or two ahead and
stored covered and refrigerated.
To
serve:
Using a 3-inch ring mold, mound the celery root salad
in the center of the plates. Top with mango and then crab
mixed with the reserved dressing from the celery root
salad. Press down gently to form a relatively compact
cake. Remove ring mold and repeat with remaining plates,
dividing the ingredients equally. Top each with caviar
and chervil sprigs and serve immediately.
To add greens to this salad, add young, white frisÈe
and/or cress tossed with a little olive oil and lemon.
Bank the greens around the salad.
(c)
2009 by John Ash.
*Seafood
Watch: recommends wild-caught Dungeness crab from the
U.S. and caviar from U.S. farmed rainbow trout or wild-caught
salmon from Alaska (a product that also carries the Marine
Stewardship Councilís blue eco-label for sustainably-caught
seafood).
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