Bitter Greens Salad

With Crab and Sesame Dressing

by LEON BOUTEILLER

I’ve been traveling around the Berkshires and the Hudson Valley and, as always, searching for menus and discerning regional trends of restaurant kitchens. Some establishments offer the same tried and true menu items that have worked for years. There are some who set trends and experiment with new ideas. Or at least reinterpret past dishes that, with a little tweaking, might elicit fresh interest. The ideas that interest me are melding different cuisines. Fusion is an over-used moniker; it uses an ingredient from one culture with a dish or technique from another. Different products and ideas from around the world come together to become a greater whole.

My recipe is a combination of two recipes from different chefs. I love to mix bitter greens in a salad with a sweet, savory dressing. I’m tired of the limp baby mixed greens and enjoy a salad with a bit of a textural crunch. This recipe can be an appetizer or an entree. Bitter greens dressed with a bold sesame vinaigrette enhanced with ginger, tossed with crabmeat. The dressing is easy but I advise you to mix it with a whisk and not in a blender so it stays loose and liquid. If spun in a blender it will have the consistency of mayonnaise. Good for a sandwich, not for a salad.

BITTER GREENS SALAD with CRAB and SESAME DRESSING
Serves 4 as an appetizer

Ingredients for the salad:

  • 1 medium head radicchio, 8 to 10 ounces, rough chop or torn

  • 2 Belgium endive, rough chop

  • 4 scallions, cut one inch pieces

  • 1 cup shaved fennel bulb

  • ½ cup slivered red onion

  • 1½ cup chopped cilantro

  • Corn kernels from one cooked ear of corn

  • 8 ounces crabmeat, cleaned of shell pieces

  • Sesame seeds for garnish

Ingredients for the dressing:

  • 2 tablespoons smooth tahini

  • 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil

  • 2 tablespoons rice vinegar

  • 2 tablespoons shoyu or tamari

  • 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger

  • 1 tablespoon light honey

  • 2 tablespoons neutral oil such as avocado

  • 1 teaspoon coconut aminos

  • ½ teaspoon gochujang or other hot pepper paste or sauce

  • 3 tablespoons water

Method for the dressing:

  • Put all ingredients in a bowl and whisk vigorously until blended and smooth

  • Set aside

Assembly:

  • Place all of the salad ingredients in a bowl and toss gently. Dress with as much or little of the sesame dressing as you like and toss until the greens are evenly coated

  • Portion the salad on cool plates and shower with some sesame seeds. Both black and white if you have them for more interest

A nice summer salad as an appetizer or light lunch. The addition of fresh local corn goes well with the crab. If crab does not appeal then try lobster or some flaked poached fish fillet. Leftover dressing will find a home on other salads or on a tomato bruschetta.

Enjoy!

Leon G Bouteiller was born and raised in Northwest Connecticut. He has held several jobs as chef in the community. He is now retired and living in Cornwall with his wife Patrice and a love of the outdoors. They are joined by their pets, a Greater Swiss Mountain Dog named Banjo and two rescue cats called Ricky and Lucy.

Back
to
Top