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SPICY CRAB AND AVOCADO SALAD

Edible flowers can be a boon for innovative cooks, not only do they add a fresh flourish of color they can also introduce unusual flavors to your dishes. For centuries roses were used for cooking and flavoring food, rose water was also put in fountains and baths to help people freshen up. Choose flowers you have grown yourself, or know to be safe for consumption. Flowers from a florist or nursery has probably been treated with pesticides or other chemicals and are certainly not safe for culinary use.

Avocado and crab salad
Serves 2

½ cup/125 ml crab meat (preferably lumps of the white meat)
1 tablespoon/15 ml mayonnaise
1 tablespoon/15 ml fresh cilantro, chopped
1 small shallot, diced finely
1-2 teaspoons/10 ml jalapeño, diced finely (optional)
1 teaspoon/5 ml lime zest
Juice from ½ a lime
sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
a sprinkle of dashi granules or botarga (optional)
a selection of micro herbs
1 avocado, stone removed, cut lengthwise
olive oil for drizzling
tomato mayonnaise for drizzling (recipe follows)

Combine the lump crab meat, mayonnaise, cilantro, red onion, jalapeño (if using), lime zest, lime juice, salt and pepper, dashi or botarga (if using). Take one slice of avocado, spoon the crab mixture over plus the herbs of your choice and place another half of avocado on top. Garnish with more herbs, edible flowers and a drizzle of olive oil and tomato mayonnaise.

STELLA's avatar

By STELLA

I have had no formal chef’s training. Classical piano was my parents’ choice, and that took care of the first 20 years of my life. Journalism and radio followed (my own choices, this time), and these opened many doors for me into different countries, people, cultures — and, of course, foods. In a six week series on radio I used it as a platform for my love of food and shared lots of interesting recipes and food news with listeners.
My earliest memories of food come from the family kitchen at home; I can still remember the wonderful smells of the dishes my mother prepared. I became aware of the flavors of her creations at an early age. Some I enjoyed and preferred, while others depressed me with their lack of interesting flavors. My mother was a good cook, but not a gourmet, and sadly this often showed. What I did appreciate was that she always involved me in the preparation, sharing her knowledge of nutrition, flavor, color, and the harmonies of each plate she dished up. She was also a genius with leftovers and quick meals when unexpected guests arrived. This is one of the things that stands out in my mind, and it inspired me to create wonderful dishes from leftover foods myself.

I carried on with the tradition of carefully planning meals to combine nutrition, color and flavor, while at the same time offering variety and elegant presentation. In the process, I developed a passion for seeking out the best available products, adhering to each season’s offerings, and treating it with the respect it deserves, which eventually became part of my daily culinary life and travels. I did these things not because I wanted to become a chef, but to satisfy myself, family and friends with creations of gorgeous food and exciting flavors. All of which, I hope, is reflected in this blog.

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