Get your hands on the freshest crab available for this brightly flavored salad—Chef Link used just-caught crab from Louisiana’s Lake Hermitage. The crabmeat may ‘weep’ a bit, but that’s just an excuse to savor the juices by sopping them up with toasted bread. Zest the lemon and lime before juicing—although the juice comes first in the recipe, it will be easier to zest ahead when the fruit still has its shape.
Jalapeño Crab and Tomato Salad
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise; more to taste
- 3 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
- 3 Tbs. fresh lime juice
- 2 medium jalapeño peppers, seeded and minced (about 2-1/2 Tbs.)
- 1-1/2 tsp. finely grated lemon zest
- 1-1/2 tsp. finely grated lime zest
- 1 tsp. Espelette pepper; more for garnish
- Coarse sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 lb. jumbo lump crab meat, picked through
- 1/2 cup loosely packed fresh mint leaves, torn; more for garnish
- 1 lb. large ripe tomatoes (about 2), cored and cut into 1/2-inch slices
Instructions
- In a large bowl whisk together the mayonnaise, juices, jalapeños, zests, Espelette pepper, 1/2 tsp. salt, and 1/4 tsp. black pepper.
- Gently fold in the crabmeat and mint with a spatula. If the salad appears too dry add mayonnaise a tablespoon at a time. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Arrange the tomato slices on a large rectangular serving platter and season with salt and pepper. Top the tomatoes with the crab salad and garnish with mint and Espelette pepper.