From page 52, A Table for Two

Courtesy of The Restaurant at Hotel Bel-Air, Los Angeles, California

Shrimp and Crab Cobb Salad with Spicy Rémoulade

A luxurious seafood salad with perfectly balanced tastes, colors, and textures. Serve, with the piquant remoulade sauce alongside, as a first course or as a main-dish salad with crusty bread.

Lemon Vinaigrette

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Spicy Remoulade

½ cup mayonnaise
½ teaspoon sambal oelek* or Tabasco sauce
1 teaspoon chopped capers
1 tablespoon minced red onion
½ tomato, peeled, seeded, and finely chopped
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

2 handfuls mixed baby salad greens
2 handfuls chopped romaine lettuce
6 cooked prawns or jumbo shrimp, chopped into bite-sized pieces
4 ounces fresh lump crabmeat
4 slices bacon, fried and crumbled
1 avocado, pitted, peeled, and diced
1 tomato, diced
1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese

To make the rémoulade: In a small bowl, stir together all the ingredients until blended. Cover and refrigerate to let the flavors blend.

To make the lemon vinaigrette: In a small bowl, combine the lemon juice, mustard, salt, pepper, lemon zest, and garlic. Whisk in the olive oil in a thin, steady stream until the mixture emulsifies.

In a salad bowl, toss the baby greens, lettuce, and 1/4 cup of the lemon vinaigrette together. Arrange the shrimp, crab, crumbled bacon, avocado, tomato, and blue cheese in rows on top. Drizzle with some of the remaining lemon vinaigrette.

Makes 2 servings

From A Table for Two by Sharon O'Connor

* Available at Asian markets and specialty food stores.