Name: Crab Louis California Classic
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 12 min
Total time: 32 min
Yield: 4 entree salads
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 8 cups chopped romaine or iceberg lettuce, chilled; 1 lb fresh cooked lump crab meat, picked over for shell; 4 large hard-boiled eggs, peeled and quartered; 2 ripe avocados, sliced; 2 large ripe tomatoes, cut into wedges; 12 spears blanched asparagus, chilled; 1/3 cup pitted black olives or kalamata olives; 1 lemon, cut into wedges; 1 cup mayonnaise; 1/4 cup chili sauce (such as Heinz); 3 tablespoons heavy cream; 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice; 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce; 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard; 2 scallions, finely sliced; 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt; 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper; 2 dashes hot sauce, optional

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Crab Louis (or Louie) is a West Coast classic born in the early 1900s in San Francisco-area kitchens. It celebrates sweet lump crab piled on crisp lettuce with hard-boiled egg, tomato, asparagus, and avocado, all tossed in a tangy chili-mayo dressing. Bright, cool, and elegant, it is the hallmark summer lunch of coastal California.

Prep Time20 mins

Cook Time12 mins

Total Time32 mins

Servings4

Yield4 entree salads

Nutrition Facts

Per serving (estimated)

480 kcalCalories
34 gFat
7 gSaturated Fat
14 gCarbs
6 gFiber
5 gSugar
28 gProtein
820 mgSodium
780 mgPotassium
160 mgCalcium
2.5 mgIron
22 mgVitamin C
210 mcgVitamin A

Ingredients

For the salad

8 cups chopped romaine or iceberg lettuce, chilled
1 lb fresh cooked lump crab meat, picked over for shell
4 large hard-boiled eggs, peeled and quartered
2 ripe avocados, sliced
2 large ripe tomatoes, cut into wedges
12 spears blanched asparagus, chilled
1/3 cup pitted black olives or kalamata olives
1 lemon, cut into wedges

For the Louis dressing

1 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup chili sauce (such as Heinz)
3 tablespoons heavy cream
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 scallions, finely sliced
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 dashes hot sauce, optional

Directions

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Lower eggs in gently and cook 10 minutes for firm yolks, then transfer to an ice bath; peel and quarter when cool.
In the same boiling water, blanch the asparagus 2 to 3 minutes until bright green and crisp-tender, then shock in the ice bath; pat dry and chill.
Whisk together mayonnaise, chili sauce, heavy cream, lemon juice, Worcestershire, Dijon, scallions, salt, pepper, and hot sauce in a bowl until smooth and pourable; chill until ready to use.
On four chilled plates, mound the lettuce in the center and arrange crab meat over the top in generous spoonfuls.
Surround the crab with fanned avocado, tomato wedges, asparagus, olives, and the quartered eggs in a classic composed-salad pattern.
Spoon 2 to 3 tablespoons of dressing over the crab, or pass the remaining dressing at the table.
Garnish with lemon wedges and an extra grind of black pepper, and serve immediately while everything is cold and crisp.

Cook’s Notes

Use genuine lump or jumbo lump crab for the sweetest texture; pasteurized canned crab works in a pinch but will be softer.
The dressing is best made an hour ahead so the flavors meld; thin with a splash of buttermilk if it stiffens in the fridge.
Traditional plates sometimes include a thin slice of beet or pickled red onion for color and a sweet-sour note.
For the cleanest flavor, chill the plated lettuce base in the freezer for 5 minutes before topping so the salad stays cold to the last bite.
Always dress the crab only at service to keep it pristine and prevent the lettuce from wilting.

DinnerSavoureux