This Easter my family and I spent the weekend at the beach. Some super generous friends loaned us their condo, so we drove down and spent time together, cooking, eating, and wishing it would stop raining long enough to sneak out to the beach to let Wagner play in the sand. We had some sun at the end and almost 2 hours of clear weather each day, so we “got our beach on” just enough for Wagner to know that the ocean is his favorite thing in the whole world, and somehow I’m still going home with a super attractive knee-sunburn. Geez Louise.
Our beach trips usually revolve around seafood cooking and eating (no suprise) and we get crazy excited when my dad goes to Joe Paddy’s in Pensacola (more on this later).
This time, Daddy brought back jumbo lump crabmeat and made a version of a recipe that his mother made that she got from her best pal, Jo Russel.. and it is so fine, so delicious, so amazing that when Brett had it for the first time he ate his entire plateful in about 2 minutes because he was worried someone else might try to eat it directly off his plate before he could.
Basically, the recipe is kind of a version of the West Indies salad that they serve down on the Gulf coast and in the Florida Keys, but probably better. (also, when I mentioned to my family that it seemed like West Indies Salad to me, I was corrected indignantly). It’s SO simple that the crab meat really shines through, and you just get lost in the perfect texture and flavors. The next time you’re down this way, or get your hands on some jumbo lump crab meat, I hope you’ll give this recipe a whirl.
Basically, you just take the crab meat and you mix it with green peppers, a tiny bit of lemon juice and mayonnaise, some green onion and salt and pepper and you’re done. It couldn’t be easier…but it’s ALSO pretty easy to over load the crab with mayo and turn it into a tuna dip. Resist the urge, people. Only the tiniest bit of mayonnaise is necessary. Also, for the love of your mother, use Hellman’s.
We look happy in this picture, but only because we assume you’ve got the right kind of mayonnaise in your fridge. 😉
- 1lb Jumbo Lump crabmeat
- 2 Tablespoons minced green bell pepper
- 3 minced green onions (only the green parts)
- the Juice of ¼-1/2 fresh lemon
- 1 to 1.5 Tablespoons Hellman's Mayonnaise
- FOR SERVING
- Paprika
- Large Lettuce Leaves
- The goal is to keep from overpowering the lovely, delicate flavor of the crabmeat, so only the simplest ingredients are used to enhance the natural deliciousness of the meat.
- To accomplish this, mix all of the ingredients together, reserving the mayonnaise for last, and only using enough to make the salad stick together lightly. This shouldn't be as goopy as typical tuna or chicken salad. Also, make sure to stir by rolling the salad up from the bottom so as not to break apart any of the large clumps of crabmeat.
As a “wish I was great at seafood” woman, I will give this a try…with Hellman’s it has to be good…that part I know. Love the family pic!