Recipes with Helen Austin Crabmeat West Indies |
© 2007 Helen Austin. All rights reserved.
In hot weather I like to keep an assortment of cold salads in the fridge so I can get a meal on the table
without actually having to cook. Sometimes I'll take a break from the standard tuna salad and chicken
salad with Crabmeat West Indies.
When I moved to Jackson, Miss., in the '60s, a couple of restaurants served this specialty. Growing up
near the Gulf Coast I had developed a taste for crabmeat in just about any form, but West Indies
Salad, as it's also called, was new to me. John Egerton says in Southern Food that it was brought
from the Caribbean to Mobile, where it first became popular in the South.
The recipe, which is simple, can be found in several regional cookbooks. Almost the only variations
I've come across are in the kinds of oil and vinegar used. Olive oil is rarely called for as its flavor can
overpower the crab. Some recipes call for cider vinegar, but I feel this flavor can also be overpowering.
A note on the crabmeat. The most reliable in quality and readily available I've found in the Little Rock
area is the kind you get in 8-ounce plastic containers in the supermarket seafood section. There are
several varieties: lump, which is the most expensive; claw, which is arguably the most flavorful; then
backfin; and finally, something called "special," which is the leftover bits and pieces. This is the least
expensive, and it's perfectly acceptable.
All crabmeat should be picked over carefully for little pieces of shell, etc. Lump crabmeat will be
comparatively shell-free; claw meat will have some shell, which is hard to see because it's the same
color as the crab. Backfin and "special" will have tiny little pieces of translucent cartilage which is
easier to feel than to see. Ingesting a little crab shell or cartilage won't hurt you, but it may come as a
surprise when you bite down on something crunchier than onion in your West Indies.
without actually having to cook. Sometimes I'll take a break from the standard tuna salad and chicken
salad with Crabmeat West Indies.
When I moved to Jackson, Miss., in the '60s, a couple of restaurants served this specialty. Growing up
near the Gulf Coast I had developed a taste for crabmeat in just about any form, but West Indies
Salad, as it's also called, was new to me. John Egerton says in Southern Food that it was brought
from the Caribbean to Mobile, where it first became popular in the South.
The recipe, which is simple, can be found in several regional cookbooks. Almost the only variations
I've come across are in the kinds of oil and vinegar used. Olive oil is rarely called for as its flavor can
overpower the crab. Some recipes call for cider vinegar, but I feel this flavor can also be overpowering.
A note on the crabmeat. The most reliable in quality and readily available I've found in the Little Rock
area is the kind you get in 8-ounce plastic containers in the supermarket seafood section. There are
several varieties: lump, which is the most expensive; claw, which is arguably the most flavorful; then
backfin; and finally, something called "special," which is the leftover bits and pieces. This is the least
expensive, and it's perfectly acceptable.
All crabmeat should be picked over carefully for little pieces of shell, etc. Lump crabmeat will be
comparatively shell-free; claw meat will have some shell, which is hard to see because it's the same
color as the crab. Backfin and "special" will have tiny little pieces of translucent cartilage which is
easier to feel than to see. Ingesting a little crab shell or cartilage won't hurt you, but it may come as a
surprise when you bite down on something crunchier than onion in your West Indies.
| Crabmeat West Indies |
Helen Austin was food editor at the Arkansas Democrat for six years and has since been a
contributor to Active Years and the Arkansas Times. She is also writing for Arkansas Newsixty, a
quarterly publication of the Arkansas Times. Having no formal education in either journalism or
home economics, she credits any expertise in these fields to a lifelong interest in food and writing.
Helen's food philosophy consists of getting the best, freshest ingredients available, then cooking
them in the simplest manner possible. She and her husband, Jerry, prepare most of their meals at
home.
contributor to Active Years and the Arkansas Times. She is also writing for Arkansas Newsixty, a
quarterly publication of the Arkansas Times. Having no formal education in either journalism or
home economics, she credits any expertise in these fields to a lifelong interest in food and writing.
Helen's food philosophy consists of getting the best, freshest ingredients available, then cooking
them in the simplest manner possible. She and her husband, Jerry, prepare most of their meals at
home.
1 8-ounce container crabmeat
1/4-1/3 cup finely chopped onion
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup cooking oil
1/4 cup white vinegar (see NOTE)
1/4 cup ice water
Chopped lettuce (iceberg or romaine hearts)
1/4-1/3 cup finely chopped onion
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup cooking oil
1/4 cup white vinegar (see NOTE)
1/4 cup ice water
Chopped lettuce (iceberg or romaine hearts)
Pick crabmeat over carefully for shell. Put approximately 1/3 of it in a small bowl. Cover with
approximately ½ of the chopped onion. Layer 1/3 of the crabmeat over this, then remaining chopped
onion. Top with remaining crabmeat. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Pour cooking oil over crabmeat mixture, then vinegar, then ice water. Cover and refrigerate for at
least 2 hours if possible.
At serving time, place about 1 cup chopped lettuce in salad bowls or plates. Top with crabmeat
mixture. Makes 2-3 luncheon servings or 4-6 first-course servings.
NOTE: Plain old white vinegar does fine for this recipe, however if acid is a problem, you might like to
try a low-acid rice vinegar.
approximately ½ of the chopped onion. Layer 1/3 of the crabmeat over this, then remaining chopped
onion. Top with remaining crabmeat. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Pour cooking oil over crabmeat mixture, then vinegar, then ice water. Cover and refrigerate for at
least 2 hours if possible.
At serving time, place about 1 cup chopped lettuce in salad bowls or plates. Top with crabmeat
mixture. Makes 2-3 luncheon servings or 4-6 first-course servings.
NOTE: Plain old white vinegar does fine for this recipe, however if acid is a problem, you might like to
try a low-acid rice vinegar.