Straight from the Sea - Virtual Supper Club

Coconut Crab and Shrimp Salad coming right up! 

It that time again! The members of Cooking Light's Virtual Supper Club are putting together a seafood banquet this month ... just in time for all the summer picnics and national celebrations that are ramping up here in the northern hemisphere. In the US, this weekend will pass with the sounds of parade bands, fireworks, kids shouting and playing, water splashing around the lakes and swimming pools, and grills sizzling with the finest barbeque offerings to be had! Huzzah!

Our 4th of July lunch will be a simple affair, as we will be partying later in the weekend at two separate barbeques. This light seafood salad is cold, crunchy, and laden with fresh green flavour along with the salty tang that the crab meat and shrimp deliver. It's a perfect way to start a heavier meal or it can stand alone as a light lunch.

The rest of the members of our virtual supper club have prepared incredibly tasty offerings! Check out this menu inspired by Sandi's idea of using fresh seafood products - anything from squid ink to seaweed, shellfish to caviar, sea salt to tuna!

This menu reminds me of the tapas offerings that are found at the bars and restaurants in the plazas in Spain. You sip a a nice cold beer, cocktail, or glass of wine and nibble on small plates of the best and the freshest that can be cooked up ...

July's Fresh From the Sea Menu

Appetizer - Val's Baja Style Grilled Rock Lobster

Salad -  Susan's Coconut Crab and Shrimp Salad

Main Dish - Sarah's - Vegetable Tamaki

Main Dish - Sandi's Rosemary Shrimp Scampi Skewers

Cocktails Anyone? - Jerry's Cooking Light Margarita

Coconut  Crab and Shrimp Salad

a slightly adapted Cooking Light recipe

Ingredients:

1 lb. cooked crabmeat, picked over and broken into chunks

1 jalapeno pepper, deveined and minced

1 small onion – small dice

½  c. fresh cilantro, finely chopped

Juice of one lime and ½ half lemon

1 small avocado, peeled and chopped into small cubes

1 c. fresh or frozen corn kernels

2 tbsp. good quality olive oil

3 heads Boston Bibb lettuce, washed and spun out, torn up

½ c. toasted sweetened coconut

⅔ lb. medium-sized shrimp, shelled and de-veined

Generous sprinkling of Kosher salt, black pepper and red pepper flakes

Olive oil for pan sear

Making the Salad:

1. Combine the crabmeat, jalapeno pepper, onion, cilantro, lime juice, and avocado in a deep bowl and toss gently together. Place in the fridge to chill.
2. Prepare the lettuce and arrange it on a large platter. Refrigerate loosely covered.
3. Heat a large fry pan over medium high heat and add a bit of olive oil.
4. While the pan heats, place the prepared shrimp in one layer on a large plate. Sprinkle generously with salt, black pepper and red pepper flakes.
5. Lay the shrimp, spiced sides down in the hot oil and leave for 2 minutes, turn the shrimp, sprinkle the corn over top and around the shrimp, finish the shrimp – about 1 more minute.
6. Pluck the shrimp out to a plate and chop coarsely. Use a spatula to scrape the corn and the juices to the bowl of crabmeat and vegetables. Toss gently.
7. Turn the shrimp in and toss gently.
8. Place the chilled salad in the center of the platter of greens, drizzle with the rest of the olive oil and the lemon juice, sprinkle on the coconut and serve with bread or good crackers, chopped mango, and a glass of good semi-dry white wine.