King Crab Salad with Grapefruit and Avocado

This lovely seafood salad was an improvisation. "I made it with what I had in the house," Piero Incisa della Rocchetta recalls. "Scarcity breeds creativity." He uses grapefruit juice both to glaze the crab and to make the sweet-tangy salad dressing.

© Fredrika Stjärne

Ingredients

3 large red grapefruits
1/2 small red onion, very thinly sliced
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Salt
1 1/2 pounds cooked shelled king crab meat (2 1/2 pounds in the shell), cut into 3-by-1/2-inch pieces
2 Hass avocados—peeled, halved lengthwise and very thinly sliced
16 unsalted roasted almonds, cracked

2 tablespoons cilantro leaves 

1. Using a sharp paring knife, peel the skin and bitter white pith from the grapefruits. Working over a bowl, cut in between the membranes to release the grapefruit sections. Squeeze the juice from the membranes into the bowl; there should be 1/2 cup.
2. In a bowl, mix the onion, soy sauce and lemon juice with 4 tablespoons of the oil. Stir in 1/4 cup of grapefruit juice from the bowl and season with salt. Let stand for 10 minutes.
3. In a skillet, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil until shimmering. Add the crab and cook over high heat, turning once, 30 seconds. Add the remaining 1/4 cup of grapefruit juice and cook until the crab is lightly caramelized, about 10 seconds. Remove from the heat.
4. Arrange the grapefruit in shallow bowls. Layer the avocado on top, then the crab. Spoon the dressing over the crab, garnish with the almonds and cilantro and serve.

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Honey-Lemon Dressing 

 

© Tina Rupp

Recipe: Honey-Lemon Dressing

Ingredients

1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 teaspoon chopped thyme
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper  

In a small bowl, whisk the lemon juice with the lemon zest, honey and thyme. Whisk in the olive oil and season with salt and pepper.