Dungeness Crab Caesar Salad

Topped with fresh Dungeness Crab and homemade parmesan crisps, this recipe includes a rich and creamy dairy-free dressing that will be the hit of your meal. it is perfect to enjoy on a hot summer day paired with Canned Oregon White Bubbles. Cheers!

Dressing

  • 2 small garlic cloves minced (1 tsp)

  • 2 tsp Dijon mustard

  • 1 tsp anchovy oil - much easier to work with than regular anchovies, but two of those minced work too!

  • 1 tsp Worcestershire

  • 2 tsp fresh squeezed lemon juice

  • 1 1/2 tsp red wine vinegar

  • 1/3 C olive oil

  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt

  • 1/8 tsp black pepper

Whisk everything together into a beautiful dairy-free dressing.

Parmesan crisps

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

In a food processor, put a 4 oz block of parmesan in and pulverize the cheese, or grate it by hand. The fresher the grate, the more robust flavor the crisps have.

On a parchment-lined baking sheet, spread out the parm evenly, reserving a few tablespoons to sprinkle over the salads on the finish. Pro-tip on this, pat the cheese down, so there aren’t any wild fly-aways before going into the oven, which makes for nicer crisps coming out of the oven.

Bake for about 4 minutes.

 Let cool COMPLETELY before trying to break apart.

 

Crab

  • 1 lb fresh Dungeness crab meat

  • Juice and zest one Meyer lemon

  • 2 Tbs fresh chopped flat leave parsley

  • 1 Tbs fresh chopped chives

  • 3 Tbs olive oil

  • Salt

  • Pepper

  • Pinch of favorite chili, whether it’s crushed red pepper or my two personal favorites Espelette and Aleppo.

Check the crab for any shells that may have been missed. Then micro-plane the zest into the crab, toss around for even distribution.

Add the salt, black pepper, chili, and herbs. Toss again. Next, add the lemon juice and olive oil. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. 

Cover tightly, let rest in the fridge until needed for the salad. 

 

Croutons

Thinly slice a fresh baguette, and lay them on parchment-lined baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, salt, and if you want to get crazy, some freshly picked thyme leaves, and a sprinkle of the parm.

Bake at 350 for 5 minutes.

Salad Build

  • Little Gem Lettuce

  • Dressing

  • Crab salad

  • Parm Crisps

  • Croutons

  • Olive oil

  • Lemon zest

  • Salt and pepper

 

Wash and dry the Little Gems well, leaving most of the leaves whole and tearing the rest gently into large pieces. 

On the bottom of your plate, make a pool of Caesar dressing, swirling outward like saucing pizza. 

Place the Little Gems in a mixing bowl and lightly drizzle with a small amount of olive oil, salt, and lemon juice. 

Artfully arrange the Little Gems on the plate with the swirled dressing. 

Then lay a scoop of the dressed crab on the greens.

Tuck 3-5 croutons and crisps into the salad leaves on each salad for a little bit of extra crunch. 

Finish with the lemon zest over the whole salad, a pinch of chili, a twist or two of fresh ground black pepper, and your remaining parmesan.

 

Mindy Gimarelli