Crab Salad With Lemon-mayonnaise Dressing

Total Time: 25 mins Preparation Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 5 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 1/2 lb french haricots vert
• 1 cup walnut halves
• 2 lemons, scrubbed
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 teaspoon dijon-style mustard
• 1/2 cup fruity extra virgin olive oil
• 1 -2 tablespoon water (optional)
• sea salt
• black pepper, freshly ground
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 (20 ounce) english cucumbers
• 1 lb fresh lump crabmeat (drained & picked over)
• 2 heads butter lettuce
• 1 bunch watercress
• 2 -3 teaspoons walnut oil (plus more as needed) (optional)

Recipe

• 1 fill a large bowl with cold water and ice cubes. trim the ends of the haricots verts, if desired.
• 2 bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil over high heat. add the haricots verts and cook for about 1 minute, just until bright green; use tongs to transfer the beans to the ice-water bath to stop their cooking. transfer them to a clean, dry dish towel, wrap them up and refrigerate until ready to use.
• 3 while the haricots verts are cooking, dry-toast the walnuts in a small skillet over medium-low heat for 3 to 4 minutes, shaking or stirring to make sure they do not burn. remove from the heat; when the nuts have cooled slightly, chop them coarsely and place half of them in a large bowl.
• 4 finely grate the zest of 2 lemons (there should be 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons), then cut the lemons in half and juice 3 halves (there should be about 3 tablespoons); reserve the remaining 1/2 lemon for another use.
• 5 combine the egg yolk, mustard and 2 tablespoons of the lemon juice in a medium mixing bowl or 2-cup glass measuring cup. slowly whisk in the oil until the mixture is emulsified and quite thick. add up to 2 tablespoons of lemon juice; add a tablespoon or two of water if a thinner consistency is desired. season to taste with salt and pepper.
• 6 use a microplane grater or zester to pulp the garlic cloves, working over the large bowl to catch any juices; then add the garlic pulp. cut the cucumber into 1/2-inch dice (there should be about 2 1/2 cups) and add it to the bowl, along with the crabmeat and the lemon zest. add the dressing and toss gently to combine.
• 7 wash and dry the lettuce and watercress leaves, discarding any tough watercress stems; tear the lettuce into bite-size pieces. place the greens in a mixing bowl and drizzle with the walnut oil and the remaining 1 tablespoon of lemon juice.
• 8 distribute evenly among individual plates, then divide the haricots verts evenly and place them neatly on the greens; drizzle them with oil, if desired. divide the dressed cucumber-crab mixture among the salads. sprinkle the remaining chopped walnuts over the salads. serve immediately.