Seafood are among my favorite meats. I believe I must have mentioned this bit so many times that it’s probably gone stale by now. Well, it’s true. Seafood is like the vanilla ice cream of meats for me. And salmon, in my opinion, is among the yummiest and healthiest meats in the market today. Shrimp, lobster, and crabs are equally yummy, too. However, they’re also among the most common food allergens out there so you have to be careful when serving this delectable Executive Chef Seafood Salad to friends. But if none of your friends is allergic to any of them, then I bet you’ll have a smashing-ly delicious dinner. Just be careful in choosing the ingredients at the market, especially the meats. In short, make sure they’re fresh. And of course, try to follow the recipe instructions.
Serves: 4
HONEY THYME DRESSING
2 oz honey
2 oz lemon juice
1 tsp thyme, picked
To taste, salt
To taste, freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
LOBSTER AND POTATO
One 1¼ -lb lobster
As needed, Court Bouillon
8 oz salmon filet
8 fingerling potatoes
CRAB CAKES
1 tsp minced shallot
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp chopped parsley
1 egg
4 oz jumbo lump crabmeat
2 oz bread crumbs, or as needed
ASSEMBLY
12 oz mixed greens (butter lettuce, frisée, mesclun)
1 zucchini, sliced paper-thin
2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
4 jumbo shrimp
As needed, Tomato Syrup
MARINADE FOR SHRIMP AND SALMON
1 tsp Spice de Cosette
6 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp lemon juice
DRESSING
1. Combine the honey, lemon juice, thyme, salt, and pepper in a bowl and whisk together until incorporated.
2. Whisking vigorously, slowly drizzle in the olive oil to form an emulsion. Reserve.
LOBSTER AND POTATO
1. Poach the lobster in Court Bouillon for 10 minutes.
2. Remove the lobster meat from shell and reserve.
3. Cut the salmon into 4 equal portions. Toss the salmon and shrimp with marinade ingredients and allow to sit for 15 minutes.
4. In a small saucepan, cook the potatoes in heavily salted water until tender. Peel while hot and reserve.
CRAB CAKES
1. Place the shallot, mustard, parsley, and egg in a bowl and mix thoroughly. Gently fold in the crabmeat and then add bread crumbs as needed to tighten mixture. Divide the mixture into 4 portions and form into small patties.
ASSEMBLY
1. Divide the salad greens into 4 bundles and wrap each with a zucchini ribbon.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Sear the salmon for 30 seconds on one side, turn over, and cook for another 30 seconds.
3. Add the crab cakes to the pan and cook until browned on both sides. Add the shrimp. When all are cooked through, reserve.
4. Place the greens in the center of 4 large salad plates. Arrange the seafood and potato as shown. Top with a crab cake. Drizzle dressing over the salad greens. Dot plate with Tomato Syrup.
Aside from the wonderful seafood in this Executive Chef Seafood Salad recipe, you also get yummy vegetables. It’s like a powerhouse of a salad, I tell you! Now, when cooking the vegetables, make sure not to get them too soft and mushy. Besides the fact that they wouldn’t taste as well, they’d also lose a lot of their nutrients if you overcook them. And also, make sure that you carefully wash the salad greens. You might not be aware of this, but vegetables travel quite a long way and they go through a lot of dust and dirt during transportation. So to be safe, carefully wash all the ingredients before preparing this wonderfully delectable salad. Bon appétit!