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Sweet and Sour Crab Salad

4.3

(7)

A slightly tart dressing and a perfectly crisp-sweet cucumber salad are wonderful foils for rich, meaty chunks of crab.

Recipe information

  • Total Time

    30 min

  • Yield

    Makes 4 to 6 (first course) servings

Ingredients

For dressing:

1/2 cup rice-wine vinegar (not seasoned)
2 tablespoon sugar
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 teaspoon hot red-pepper flakes

For salad:

1/2 seedless cucumber
1 pound king crab legs, thawed if frozen
1/2 pound Napa cabbage, cored and thinly sliced (4 cups)
1/3 cup torn basil leaves
1/3 cup torn mint leaves
1/3 cup torn cilantro leaves

Equipment:

an adjustable-blade slicer fitted with 1/4-inch julienne blade

Preparation

  1. Make dressing:

    Step 1

    Bring vinegar and sugar to a boil in a small nonreactive saucepan, stirring until sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat and stir in garlic, red-pepper flakes, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cool to room temperature

  2. Make salad while dressing cools:

    Step 2

    Using slicer, cut cucumber lengthwise into long julienne strips, slicing until you reach core, then rotate cucumber a quarter turn and continue slicing and rotating until left with nothing but core. Discard core and pat cucumber strips dry.

    Step 3

    Cut through crab shells with kitchen shears. Remove and coarsely shred meat.

    Step 4

    Toss crabmeat with cucumber, remaining ingredients, dressing, and salt to taste.

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