INGREDIENTS
Serves 2
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 medium unripe Hass avocado, peeled and cut into chunks
2 tablespoons whole fresh cilantro leaves, divided
1/2 pound jumbo lump crabmeat, picked through for bits of shells, but pieces left as large as possible
Juice of 1 medium lime
1/2 teaspoon seeded and finely chopped jalapeño pepper
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 medium red radishes, sliced
3 grape or cherry tomatoes, sliced in half lengthwise
1. In a small skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil until barely smoking. Add the avocado and sauté over high heat 11/2 minutes, tossing gently. Transfer the avocado to paper towels and let cool to room temperature.
2. Roughly chop 1 tablespoon of the fresh cilantro leaves. In a medium bowl, gently toss the chopped cilantro with the crabmeat, 1 tablespoon olive oil, lime juice, jalapeño, salt, and pepper.
3. Firmly pack half of the crab salad into a ring mold placed in the center of a serving plate. (If you don’t have a ring mold, you can use a tuna can with both the top and bottom removed.) Remove the mold and repeat with the remaining crab salad on another serving plate.
4. Arrange the radish slices on top of the crab salad. Place the tomatoes around the crab salad in a starburst fashion, cut-side down. Arrange the avocado chunks on the plates in a random fashion. Drizzle the plates with remaining 2 teaspoons olive oil and sprinkle with the whole cilantro leaves.
BUYER BEWARE
Don’t be afraid to ask to inspect the crab before buying it. Some unscrupulous packers fill the crabmeat tubs with shredded crab and place the nice big lumps on the top of the container to fool the consumer.