I stumbled on a dish last week that I know will become a Glover Gardens classic. Kitchen serendipity strikes again!
We had a black bean salad during our quick July 4 trip to Gumbo Cove, as a side dish for grilled burgers. I threw the salad together with a can of black beans, the kernels scraped from one ear of fresh corn, a little chopped red onion, tomato and serrano peppers, some lime juice and a good amount of a spicy store-bought salsa. It was similar to this one that I published years ago, with corn added.
That same weekend (was that just last weekend????), I caught a few blue crabs in my new crab trap. (Yay!) But I didn’t get them until the last day, and there were only three. So I quickly cooked them up, put them on ice in the cooler, and brought them back to Glover Gardens, along with the leftovers from our July 4 meals.
What came next was kitchen serendipity.
After I cleaned and picked the crab, I had only about a cup of that delectable, sweet meat. What to make???
I had that leftover black bean salad with corn. Hmmmmmm.
I combined the crab with the salad, tossed in a little more lime juice and cilantro, and put it into pretty antique hand-blown cocktail glasses. A lime wedge made it look festive, like a crab cocktail. A beautiful starter, don’t you think?
At the last minute, I realized there was one more leftover that would be FABULOUS with this dish: homemade guacamole. There was only a little left, and perhaps normal people would have thrown it out, but I keep and use everything. So I dolloped each dish and took another quick picture.
Folks, it was a match made in heaven. The rich sweetness of the lump crab with its firm texture was a perfect compliment for the crunch of the corn and the brightness of the salsa and lime juice. And the creamy topping of guacamole took it to a new level. Every bite was a party. The Grill-Meister was properly impressed.
You can make this! Even thought I didn’t spell out a recipe, it’s an easy yum!
- Get some crab meat, the smallest container of lump crab at the store. You can also use claw meat, if the lump crab is a bit too pricy.
- Buy or make a black bean salad (my recipe works just fine), add fresh corn and amp it up with lime juice or more seasonings, or better yet, have the black bean salad with another meal and make this dish when you have some left over.
- Buy or make guacamole (here’s my quickest recipe), or as with the black bean salad, make this dish when you have some left over.
- Mix the crab with the salad, taste and adjust the seasonings, put it in pretty serving dishes, top with a dollop of guacamole and add a lime wedge and cilantro sprig for garnish.
Voila! You’ve got an elegant, delicious and easy starter course.
On a side note, the pink antique glasses were a great choice for serving the crab starter. I have sturdy white ramekins that would have been just fine, but not as festive. We felt like we were at a fancy restaurant, even though we were just at home on a Tuesday night during COVID-19 quarantining.
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