Alaskan Dungeness Crab Salad with Cherry Tomatoes and Melon

Adam Zieminski

Cafe Adam, Great Barrington, MA

When some of the Berkshires’ best chefs visited the Beard House, their menu perfectly captured the essence of the region’s delicious bounty. Adam Zieminski of Café Adam in Great Barrington made this simple and refreshing crab salad.

Yield

4 servings

Ingredients

  • Crab Salad:

  • 12 ounces cooked crab meat
  • 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
  • 1 tablespoon minced shallot
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest
  • 1 tablespoon chopped chive
  • 1 tablespoon chopped chervil
  • 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
  • 1 tablespoon chopped mint
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • Sea salt and freshly ground white pepper, to taste

  • Verbena Vinaigrette:

  • 1 tablespoon sliced lemon verbena
  • Juice of 1 lime
  • 1 teaspoon simple syrup
  • 2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 4 square-shaped slices of melon, such as cantaloupe or honeydew
  • 12 cherry tomatoes in assorted colors, blanched, peeled, and halved

Method

Combine the crab, mayonnaise, shallot, mustard, lemon zest, chive, chervil, cilantro, mint, lemon juice, salt and white pepper together in a bowl. Fold together.

Whisk together the lemon verbena, lime juice, simple syrup, grapeseed oil, and olive oil.

Place a melon slice onto the plate. Spoon the crab salad on top, packing it tightly to make a square shape. Press the tomatoes on top of the salad. Drizzle with the vinaigrette to serve.

https://www.jamesbeard.org/recipes/alaskan-dungeness-crab-salad-with-cherry-tomatoes-and-melon