Rémoulade de crabe au céleri

crab remoulade2

Curried crab remoulade

This unusual crab salad requires some interesting equipment if you will be making it the traditional way, starting with fresh crab claws. Plan to have a hammer on hand!

As usual, the results will depend on the quality of your ingredients. Use fresh crab meat if at all possible. If not, go for the highest quality of frozen or tinned crab meat. And by all means, make your own mayo. It’s quick and much easier than you may think. If you’ve never made it before, check out the video on this site.

By the way, a remoulade sauce is essentially mayonnaise with extra bite — more Dijon mustard, at the very least, and sometimes with the addition of minced shallots, capers, pickles or herbs. In this recipe, mustard and hot curry turn the mayo into a remoulade.

2 large crab claws or 3 ounces (80 g.) fresh crab meat
1/2 cup homemade mayonnaise
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp. hot curry powder
2 tbsp. celery, thinly sliced
1 tsp. chopped fresh dill
1 tsp. chopped fresh mint
1 tsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 tsp. salt
freshly ground black pepper

4-6 mushrooms
handful of arugula

Start by preparing the crab meat.

If using crab claws, crack them open with a hammer — far easier than with a nut cracker. Discard the shell and pick through the crab meat carefully to remove all the cartilage. Set aside. If using frozen or tinned crab meat, drain thoroughly and check to ensure that all the cartilage has been removed. Set aside.

Make the mayonnaise. (If there is extra, it may be refrigerated and kept in a sealed jar for up to a week.) Add the Dijon mustard and hot curry powder to turn the mayo into a remoulade sauce. Stir well to blend.

In a mixing bowl, combine the crab and remoulade sauce. Add the celery, the chopped herbs, the lemon juice and the salt. Grind in some black pepper. Stir, taste and adjust the seasonings if necessary. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Just before serving, slice the mushrooms thinly and arrange the slices in a circle around the edge of each plate. Scatter arugula leaves over the inside of each circle. Top with a few spoonfuls of the crab. Serve with a crisp, chilled white wine. Serves 2.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.