Name: Crab with Cantaloupe and Caviar – Sea Salad
Yield: Serves 4
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons champagne vinegar; 1 teaspoon minced shallot; 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard; 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil; 1/4 cup canola oil; Salt and freshly ground black pepper; 2 pounds fresh crabmeat, cooked, shelled, and picked; 2 tablespoons mayonnaise; 1 bunch chives, chopped; Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper; 1 Tuscan cantaloupe, peeled, seeded, and cut into chunks; 2 avocados, peeled, seeded, and sliced; 1 ounce caviar (Sturgeon royal)

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Crab with Cantaloupe and Caviar – Sea SaladCookbook cover image courtesy of Random House

I thrive on discovering new flavor combinations, and Sea is a great example of a totally thrown together idea that worked out beautifully. That day I was really in the mood for some crab salad, but I wanted to do something untraditional. One of my purveyors had sent me some Tuscan cantaloupe to try, so I first made a melon emulsion. Then I tossed the crabmeat with my Colvin Vinaigrette (which is basically good on anything). I thought that avocado would be great with the melon, so I started with a little melon on the plate, then I layered sliced ripe avocado and the crab mixture with a huge quenelle of caviar I had on hand to top it all off. Honestly, it was like heaven. I had so much crab that I made two mini ones for my two friends downstairs, and they were like, "What the hell is this flavor combination? This is amazing!" Give it a try—it's elegant and just incredibly good.

Recipe notes

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