Crab Maroulosalata (Kavouras Maroulosalata)
Crab Maroulosalata (Kavouras Maroulosalata)
Ingredients
For the salad
1 to 2 heads fresh romaine (thinly sliced on the short axis, chiffonade cut)
½ to one bunch of scallions (sliced into 1/8” pieces)
1 bunch fresh dill weed (as fresh as you can get it, picked from the stem, save stems)
1 or more ounces of Greek or Bulgarian feta cheese (crumbled)
Dungeness crab
For the dressing
½ cup good olive oil
Juice of one or more fresh lemons
Ground sea salt
Fresh cracked black pepper
1 tsp. oregano (or more, to taste)
For the salad:
Combine the romaine, scallions and dill in a bowl and mix well. Gently crumble the feta and incorporate into the mix.
Combine the dressing ingredients and whisk them vigorously into an emulsion. Shortly before serving, pour the dressing over the greens and toss lightly.
For the crab:
Finely dice dill stems and gently incorporate into the meat.
Add fresh lemon and garlic olive oil to taste but be careful not to add too much. Let the crab be its glorious self.
Put this mixture into the fridge until just before serving. Shape into quenelles (egg-shaped) with spoons and place directly on the salad.
For the pita:
Brush a pita on one side with garlic olive oil and let stand for 1 minute or longer to let it soak in a bit.
Place on a hot grill oil side up first to warm dry side then turn over to grill oiled side.
For perfect diamond grill marks, orient what you’re grilling at 10 o’clock then 2 o’clock. Cut grilled pita into sixths, place around salad portions and enjoy!
Recipe by Sid Stetson, formerly with Oregon Sea Grant, Aquatic Animal Health Program
The story behind the award-winning recipe: This recipe was entered into the 2022 Newport Wild Seafood Cook-Off by Oregon Sea Grant's senior aquarist Sid Stetson. His crew (Angee Doerr, James Farlin, Jaimie Hart and Jenn Walker) served around 585 plates in three and a half hours during the event. When the judges had tasted all the fare, this recipe was awarded second place in both the Crab Division People’s Choice and the Crab Division Judge’s Choice categories.