Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Great combo: crab and asparagus


It's asparagus season! While you can get the tasty spears any time of year -- as is true now of most fruits and veggies -- spring is when they are best. Local growers around here are bringing their asparagus to markets, and I find it easy to over-buy and then have to come up with ideas for serving my husband's favorite vegetable.
Last night we just roasted a bunch of it in the oven with olive oil and seasonings.

One flavor combination that I think works really well is to mix crabmeat with slices of asparagus. For company this weekend, I'm planning to make a crab and asparagus salad (recipe and photo to come), but here's another way to combine the two ingredients, courtesy of Eating Well magazine.

Recipe: Crab Salad Melts
Makes 4 servings


Ingredients:

  • 3 asparagus spears, or 12 snow peas, trimmed and thinly sliced (about 1/3 cup)
  • 8 ounces crabmeat, any shells or cartilage removed
  • 1/3 cup finely chopped celery
  • 1/4 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
  • 1 scallion, finely chopped
  • 4 teaspoons lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon low-fat mayonnaise
  • 1/4 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
  • 2-5 dashes hot sauce
  • Freshly ground pepper, to taste
  • 4 whole-wheat English muffins, split and toasted
  • 1/2 cup shredded Swiss cheese
Instructions:
  1. Place rack in the upper third of the oven; preheat broiler.
  2. Place asparagus (or snow peas) in a medium microwave-safe bowl with 1 teaspoon water. Cover and microwave until tender, about 30 seconds. Add crab, celery, bell pepper, scallion, lemon juice, mayonnaise, Old Bay seasoning, hot sauce to taste and pepper; stir to combine.
  3. Place English muffin halves, cut-side up, on a large baking sheet. Spread a generous 1/4 cup of the crab salad on each muffin half and sprinkle each with 1 tablespoon cheese. Broil until the cheese is melted, 3 to 6 minutes.

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