Watch how to make this easy melon and crab salad recipe with guest chef Chef Craig Strong of Studio Laguna Beach in this episode of “Chef Tips” with Jason Hill.
This crab salad recipe is one of the signature items at Studio, a fine dining restaurant perched on a 50-foot coastal bluff at Montage Laguna Beach. It’s accented with fresh melon and a homemade mayonnaise that can be tailored to your tastes.
Located in its own private Arts & Crafts cottage, this 5-star restaurant offers expansive 280-degree views of Laguna Beach. It is an airy, comfortable place with 20-foot wood beamed ceilings, a striking 2,000-bottle wine vault, and a turn-of-the-century styled dark wood bar, where guests are invited to sample fine wines and tapas-styled dishes. Serving up California-French coastal cuisine, Studio’s menu changes daily, according to the whims of their talented executive chef, Craig Strong.
Standouts on the menu include delightful artisan cheeses, fresh-caught seafood and farm-raised meats and game. The Chef’s Tasting Menu is an especially good value. One of the nicest treats is its wine-by-the-glass program, offering an extensive list of more than 2,200 highly coveted wines.
In this episode of “Chef Tips,” Chef Strong shows you how to make mayonnaise, followed by a quick and simple preparation of his fresh crab salad. This dish is perfect for elegant entertaining.
The crab meat salad can also be served on its own, but the delicate melon, honey and sherry vinegar accompaniments are not to be missed. The ingredients you’ll need for this recipe are Dungeness crab, egg yolks, lemon, vanilla bean, grape seed oil, cantaloupe, sherry vinegar, and salad greens.
Melon Wrapped Crab Salad
Recipe by Jason Hill – CookingSessions.comIngredients
Vanilla Mayonnaise
- 2 egg yolks
- Juice ½ lemon
- 1 vanilla bean scraped reserving seeds (optional)
- ½ cup grape seed oil
Crab Salad
- ½ pound Dungeness crab
- 1 cantaloupe scraps reserved for sauce
Melon Sauce
- ¼ cup honey
- ¼ cup sherry vinegar
- ¼ cup grape seed oil
- 2 cups micro greens for garnish
Instructions
- Mix egg yolks, lemon juice, and vanilla bean seeds in small mixing bowl. While whisking constantly drizzle oil to make mayonnaise. Mix with crab.
- Peel melon, cut into quarters and trim to make rectangle. Slice melon thinly using a Japanese mandolin. Place one teaspoon of crab salad on each melon slice and roll.
- Puree the scrap cuts of melon to use as a sauce for the plate.
- In a small sauce pan heat vinegar and honey. When warm, transfer to blender and while mixing, add oil slowly.
- Make 4 rolls per person. Decorate the plate with sauce and toss the greens with vinaigrette. Then, place rolls in center of plate and top with greens.
