Dungeness Crab & Root Veggie Salad
Dungeness crab, root vegetables, goat cheese, and lobster — 24 ingredients, added one at a time, until every one earned its place.
Built from a Martha Stewart root-veggie salad as a starting point, then reworked ingredient by ingredient until only the ones that earned their place — hitting a sense, playing well with the crab, adding a distinct texture or color — made the cut. Twenty-four ingredients, none of them accidental by the end, even the ones that started that way.
Read the full story — Battle of the CrabDressing
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 shallot, chopped
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- 1 tbsp champagne vinegar
- 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 5 leaves fresh basil, crushed or muddled in
- 1 tbsp dried basil
- 1 tbsp honey
Root Vegetables
- as needed mixed carrots (Nantes and purple), peeled into strips
- 1 fennel bulb, cored and sliced on mandolin (fronds reserved for garnish)
- small amount arugula or other lettuce
- 1 (3 oz) watermelon radish, sliced on mandolin
- 1 turnip, peeled and sliced on mandolin*
*Jeff's note: next time, swap the turnip for parsnip or red radish — more assertive flavor to match the other root vegetables' crisp earthiness.
Aromatics & Heat
- 1 jalapeño, halved, seeded, thinly sliced
- ½ cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped*
- 5 leaves fresh mint, finely chopped, plus more for garnish
- to taste coarse salt
*Added deliberately for its bitterness, despite Jeff's own dislike of cilantro — the EVOO-heavy dressing coats the tongue enough to temper its sharper edges.
Protein & Garnish
- 6 slices applewood smoked bacon, crumbled*
- as needed goat cheese crumbles
- ¾ cup Dungeness crabmeat, picked or prepared
- 1 lobster, cooked meat chopped; claw and leg meat reserved for garnish
*Jeff's note: skip the bacon next time — crumbled bacon and crab shell fragments feel identical underfoot in the mouth, and there's no telling which one you're biting down on until it's too late.
Make the Dressing
Whisk together the olive oil, shallot, salt, champagne vinegar, balsamic vinegar, Dijon, fresh and dried basil, and honey until well combined. Set aside.
Prep the Vegetables mandolin recommended
Slice or shave the carrots, fennel, watermelon radish, and turnip into very thin rounds or strips over a large bowl. Toss with the arugula.
Add the Aromatics
Add the jalapeño, cilantro, and mint, and toss to combine. Season with coarse salt.
Add the Protein
Gently fold in the chopped lobster meat, then top with the Dungeness crabmeat and goat cheese crumbles.
Finish
Top with the dressing and reserved fennel fronds and mint. Serve immediately.