Crab apple avocado salad stack

Summer in London this year must have been the best we've had for the longest time. So much so that I have not been checking the weather forecast. I just expect the next day to be warm and sunny and continue being like this the day after. I'm getting used to wearing skirts, shorts and no jackets or tights. What a bliss. 

With this weather, comes simple and tasty cool food that does not make you sweat. One that is easy to prepare as well. This recipe is so pretty yet easy to make, it is perfect for a quick summer dinner after work. Even though it is weekday after work in London, having this salad on the balcony just makes it feel like holiday by the beach. Enjoy!

Crab salad served on lettuce gem leaves. This is a good way to serve the salad at a party. It's easy to pop into the mouth.

Crab, Apple and Avocado Salad Stack

serves 2

Ingredients: 

• 120g crab meat (can)
• 1 red chillies (diced)
• 1 granny smith apple (cubed)
• 120g baby plum tomatoes (quartered)
• 1 nectarine (deseeded & cubed)
• 1 large lime
• 1 avocado (cubed)
• salt and pepper to taste
• lettuce gems
• handful of fresh mint leaves
• extra virgin olive oil
• a few drops of balsamic to taste (on tomato)

Methods:

1.  Remove crab meat from can and drain. Place into a bowl then add the diced chillies and apple cubes.

2.  Squeeze the juice of one lime into the bowl. Season with salt and pepper and mix the crab well with some sliced mint leaves. 

3.  On a different bowl, place the quartered plum tomatoes and season with salt, pepper, 2 drops of balsamic vinegar and a little extra virgin olive oil. Set aside.

4.  To assemble, place a food ring on a serving plate. 

5.  Carefully place the avocado in the ring. Top it up with the cubed nectarines followed by the tomatoes.

6.  Gently press downwards with the back of spoon to compress the stack of avocado, nectarines and tomatoes.

7.  Top up with a generous amount of the prepared crab and decorate with mint leaves.

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Salmon Ceviche

Ceviche is a very popular seafood dish in South America, especially in Peru. It has been declared as part of Peru’s ‘national heritage’. There is even holiday to celebrate this dish, to encourage more people to eat it.

Salmon ceviche

This dish uses raw fish or seafood and marinade in citrus juice. The chemical reaction of the acid in citrus juice will cure the fish. Since there is no heat involved in this process, it is advised to use the freshest raw fish to avoid food poisoning.

Traditionally, ceviche is marinated for about three hours. But the modern technique has been influenced by methods of making Japanese sashimi, similar to the Peruvian version of tiradito. The recipe I am using is an adaptation from Gordon Ramsay's cookbook, which marinates the fish for about 5-10 minutes in Asian inspired flavour.

The salmon edges are turning opaque and firmer, the same way fish would when cooked with heat.

SALMON CEVICHE RECIPE

adapted from Gordon Ramsay's Fast Food: Recipes from "The F Word"
Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 250g very fresh salmon fillet, skinned and thinly sliced
• small handful of coriander leaves, shreded
• small handful of young watercress (optional)

Dressing:

• juice of 1 lime
• 1/2 banana shallot, thinly sliced
• 1 red chilli, deseeded and thinly sliced
• 1 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tbs sesame oil
• 1 tbs olive oil
• sea salt & black pepper
• pinch of caster sugar

Method:

1. Mix all ingredients for the dressing in a bowl and season with salt, pepper and caster sugar.
2. Set the dressing ingredients aside.
3. Thinly slice the skinned salmon and arrange them neatly on four serving plates.
4. Distribute the dressing evenly over the salmon.
5. Let it marinade for 30 minutes.
6. Scatter some coriander over the salmon.
7. Neatly place the watercress in the empty spaces to make the plates look presentable.

After marination, the salmon turned opaque as the citrus cures the fish

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Pan con tomate (Spanish-style toast with tomato)

Tired from work and cannot be bothered to eat out or cook a proper meal? I know the perfect no-fuss, fresh and healthy food to make! It is the perfect mid-week quick and light dinner. Ingredients used are very basic so most likely, you already have them in the fridge so no shopping needed. Better yet, if you have a herb garden, freshly plucked basil is always a plus.



PAN CON TOMATE (SPANISH-STYLE TOAST WITH TOMATO) RECIPE

Ingredients:

• 5 slices of baguette


• 1 clove garlic cut in half


• 2 vine-ripen tomato (grated)


• 5 basil leaves (sliced)


• 1 tbs olive oil


• sea salt & ground black pepper

• salad leaves

Method:

1. Slice the baguette, as many as you please but the ingredients above are for about five slices.


2. Toast the baguette.


3. While the baguette slices are being toasted, grate the tomatoes into a bowl.


4. Mix the grated tomatoes with basil leaves and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper, then set aside.


5. Cut the garlic clove into half and rub on to the toasts.


6. Spoon the seasoned grated tomato onto the toast and serve with salad leaves on the side.

Tips:

• Use good  quality olive oil and tomato.


• You can always add some ham on the toasts if you cannot live without meat.

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Salmon and Mango Salsa Stack

There was a fat juicy mango sitting in the fridge for the past days, waiting to be eaten. I was just going to criss-cross cut each half, push the cubes out by flipping the skin inside out and devour the juicy sweet meaty flesh, cube by cube off the skin when I sit home and relax, not think about anything but chill on a Friday night.





Instead of just simply enjoying my beloved fruit on its own, she was very carefully prepared to be married with smoked salmon. I came across the 'scallop with gingered mango-tomato salsa' post on DorieGreenspan’s blog and thought I could spread this idea over to salmon. When I surfed further, I found Health Burst’s site on Salmon stack and  thought it looks stunning and delicious.  So I made my version of salmon stack and initiate my attempt to carefully stack the ingredients in the food ring. It looks really impressive. And it looks like it came straight out of a restaurant kitchen!

So easy and no cooking involved! Brilliantly simple.

My similar version of Healthy Burst's Salmon stack.

SALMON AND MANGO SALSA STACK RECIPE
adapted from the Healthy Burst
Makes 1 stack

Ingredients:

• 60g smoked salmon
• ½ avocado (sliced)

Mango Salsa

• 1 mango (1cm cube)
• 1 tomato (chopped)
• ¼ cucumber (cubed)
• ¼ red onion (finely chopped)
• ½ chilli; deseeded (finely chopped)
• ½ lime
• Small bunch of mint (chopped)
• Salt and pepper (to taste)

Lime Chilli Mayonnaise

• ½ lime
• ¼ chilli
• 1 tbs japanese mayonnaise

Method:

1.  Prepare the lime chilli mayonnaise first. 
2.  Stir the mayonnaise with juice of half a lime and finely chopped chilli. Put aside for later.
3.  Prepare the mango salsa by mixing the ingredients together. Sprinkle some salt and pepper to taste.
4.  Place a the cylindrical food ring on the plate you are serving with.
5.  Layer it with the salmon then avocado. Push them down slightly to make sure they are compact.
6.00Top it up with the mango salsa and make sure they are well packed so they keep in shape and will not fall off when the ring is lifted out.
7.  Lift the ring when ready to serve and spoon some of the mayonnaise mix on to the salmon stack.

All ingredients well packed and supported by the ring

Tips:

• I would try make the mayonnaise with a pinch of chilli powder or curry powder the next time.

You may also like:

Halloumi Fig & Pomegranate Salad

Salmon Ceviche

Watermelon & Goat’s Cheese

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