Crab Salad Recipe
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Hot Parmesan Crab Risotto Salad
This dish could be served at a fancy four star restaurant. It is so amazing you will want to savor every morsel. The savory risotto dotted with tender flakes of Dungeness crab is amazing in itself, but when you blend in Parmesan cheese and top it off with delectable micro greens, this dish would please any food critic in town.
Risotto is a traditional Italian dish made with rice cooked in broth. Short grain rice like Arborio is necessary to get the creamy texture desired at the end of cooking. Risottos are made with many different ingredients and flavorings and are often served as a starter. We have gone a step further and adapted our risotto into a hot salad by adding the fresh micro greens.
Speaking of micro greens, these can be any lettuce, herb or other salad green that is harvested when only an inch or two high. Micro greens can include arugula, basil, beets, endive, cabbage, celery, chard, radishes, collards, cumin, amaranth, kohlrabi, mizuna, mustard, tatsoi, sorrel, pea vines, dill, purslane, fennel, or any other green you like. Micro greens can be found at many gourmet shops or you can easily grow your own. Since they are harvested not long after they sprout, they are just one step away from being called a sprout. Instead of just having a pair of seed leaves, they may have a pair or two of adult leaves. Most can be grown on your kitchen counter without any fuss or mess. They are an excellent way to have fresh greens out of season.
Gourmet Crab and Rice Salad
Ingredients -
6 to 8 cups chicken stock
3 Tablespoons olive oil
½ cup shallots, finely chopped
1 cup Arborio rice
½ cup dry white wine
4 to 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter
½ cup Parmesan cheese, grated, plus extra for garnish
¾ pound Dungeness crab, shelled and cooked
1 Tablespoon minced fresh sage leaves
Salt and pepper to taste
Lemon wedges
Micro greens
Preparation:
Heat the chicken stock up over medium heat in a sauce pan. Maintain a low simmer. Heat the olive oil in a sauce pan with a heavy bottom over medium heat.
Add the shallots to the oil and let them cook until they are translucent; stir as needed. Add the rice and let it cook, continuously stirring, until you hear the rice make a clicking sound like beads; this takes 3 to 4 minutes.
Add wine to the rice mixture. Continue cooking and stirring until the wine is absorbed by the rice.
Use a ladle to add ¾ cup of the hot chicken stock to the rice. Stir the rice constantly with a wooden spoon at a moderate rate of speed. When the rice is thick enough to leave a clear wake behind the spoon, add another ¾ cup of chicken stock.
Continue adding the stock in ¾ cup increments until the rice is almost translucent with an opaque center. The rice should be al dente, but not crunchy. Add smaller amounts of broth as the rice gets closer to getting done. Do not overcook it. The finished rice should be thick enough so the grains are suspended in a sauce the consistency of heavy cream. It will continue to thicken when you remove it from the heat.
Remove the rice from the heat. Add butter, Parmesan cheese, crab meat, and sage, stirring constantly. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Mound the hot risotto into serving bowls. Sprinkle with micro greens across the top. Garnish with lemon wedges and Parmesan shavings.
(Serves 4)
Photo Description:
This delicious hot Parmesan crab risotto salad is amazing. The creamy rice supports the tender crab while the sharp Parmesan cheese contrasts nicely with the micro greens. The whole plate is a work of art. Once you taste it, you will understand just how marvelous this dish is. Serve this whenever you want to make a fabulous impression. You can keep the lemons on the side if you wish... we thought they made a nice colorful contrast in the presentation of the dish. Look for gourmet micro greens at your specialty markets.
