No one seems to know the exact origin of Crab Louie—or is it Crab Louis? “Louis” seems a little too fancy and sophisticated to me; “Louie” has more of a devil-may-care, it’s summer, Baby! attitude…so that’s what I’m going with.
Whatever the moniker, it sure is a great summer main dish salad. The chilled crunch of the lettuce, the bright red burst of summer flavor in the tomatoes, the crisp bell peppers and cucumbers, and the unctuous boiled eggs…they’re all the perfect party companions to the silky crab and the tanginess of the dressing. Sometimes we add avocado, and some recipes include asparagus, olives or artichokes—and that’s ok! Louie is a summer seafood salad state of mind rather than an exact recipe.
Other seafood works great with the Louie approach, too! We sometimes use plank-grilled salmon, as in this recipe from 2017, where we also threw in some grilled shrimp for good measure.
Give it a look, and maybe you’ll feel compelled to make some kind of seafood Louie salad this holiday weekend.
© 2020, Glover Gardens
