A Dungeness Crab Dish for the Changing Seasons

And just like that, it’s September. The last gasps of summer and the first cool winds of fall are upon us, and while produce such as apples, pears, grapes, and corn are in fine form, the sweet flavour of… of Dungeness crab will see you through the transition to cooler temperatures. Below, Craig Sung, the new executive chef at Vancouver’s standout farm-to-table restaurant, Forage, has provided NUVO with his recipe for a gazpacho-topped Dungeness crab and lime salad, combining garden freshness with the crispness of fall.

Dungeness Crab Salad with Gazpacho

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients

For the tomato disc:

3 heirloom Oxheart tomatoes

For the crab salad:

150 grams pickled crab meat

1 lime, juiced and zested

1 tablespoon mayonnaise

1 teaspoon cilantro, finely chopped

Sea salt to taste

2 red radishes, thinly sliced

For the gazpacho:

4 heirloom tomatoes, roughly diced

1 cucumber, seeded, roughly diced

2 red peppers, pith and seed removed, roughly diced

2 red chilies, deseeded and chopped

1 garlic clove

½ small brown onion, roughly diced

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

Sea salt, freshly ground pepper, and Tabasco sauce, to taste

Method

For the tomato disc:

Cut one-centimetre-thick slices from the largest part of the tomato.

Using a medium-sized ring cutter, cut 12 small discs from the tomato slices and set aside.

Save all tomato trimmings for the gazpacho.

For the crab salad:

Double check that there are no shells remaining in the crab meat by feeling it with your hands.

Season the crab meat with grated lime zest and a squeeze of lime juice.

Add the mayonnaise and chopped cilantro. Mix well and season to taste. Set aside.

For the gazpacho:

Combine everything in the blender, or if using a hand blender, in a deep bowl. (If necessary, work in batches.) Blend at high speed until very smooth, at least 2 minutes, pausing occasionally to scrape down the sides with a rubber spatula.

Strain the mixture through a strainer or a food mill, pushing all the liquid through with a spatula or the back of a ladle. Discard the solids.

Transfer to a container and chill until very cold, at least 6 hours or overnight.

Before serving, adjust the seasonings with salt if needed.

To plate:

Slice the radish on a mandoline as thinly as possible.

Place three tomato discs in each bowl.

Season tomato disc with salt and pepper, then place a generous amount of the crab salad on top of each disc.

Cover the salad with the radish slices and pour in the gazpacho.