Chilled Crab Salad, Mango, Basil Seeds, and Tamarind Vinaigrette

Ingredients

2 lbs. peekytoe or any good quality crabmeat
1 tbs. fennel pollen (available at Kalustyan's, or, Nawab suggests, "you could just buy a couple heads of fennel and chop the fronds like an herb")
2 tbs. basil seeds (available at Kalustyan's)
5 tbs. warm water
¼ tsp. salt
2 mangoes
1 jar tamarind paste (available at Kalustyan's)
4 tbs. olive oil
2 tbs. sugar
½ cup fresh chervil, for garnish

Instructions

Add the crab to a bowl and gently pick through to make certain there are no shells. Fold in the fennel pollen. Pour the warm water over the basil seeds and salt. Leave to soak for 30 minutes. Drain, and drizzle seeds over crab mixture.

Peel and dice the mangoes. In a bowl, add the tamarind paste and the sugar. Slowly whisk in the oil to make a smooth dressing. Spoon some of the vinaigrette around a large platter. Arrange the crab on top, and spoon the fresh mangoes around the crab. Garnish with chervil.

(Published 2009)