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Ice-Cold Avocado, Crab, and Cilantro Cocktail

The day after our visit to the Villa E-1047, my Frenchman and I decided to hike the Cap Martin, along the Promenade Le Corbusier, which winds its way around the cape past little turquoise swimming coves and rocky outcroppings – overlooking Monaco or Menton, depending on which side you’re walking. We swam with masks, ogling fish, and then hiked in the sun, with only waves and the incessant chirping of cicada as the lovely soundtrack to our walk.
By the time we rounded the cape, and saw Menton in the distance, we were parched and hungry. Just in time, we spotted this place, funnily enough, built in the 1930’s cruise-ship style!
So we stopped for a bite, and I sampled the restaurant’s Ice-Cold Avocado, Crab, and Cilantro Cocktail. It was probably made with Mediterranean green crab, or crabe vert, but at home, I used rock crab (known as tourteau here in France) because it’s easier to find in Paris.
One thing that isn’t easy to find in Paris is already-picked crab meat. On the East Coast, where I come from, fresh-picked pasteurized crabmeat is always stocked in the cooler of any decent fish shop – boy, do I miss fresh Maryland-style crab cakes!
So if you’re making this in Paris, you can find fresh-picked crabmeat at Petrossian, but don’t expect all that work to come cheap! Otherwise, buy a demi-tourteau, or half rock crab, at your local fish shop, and ask your fishmonger to show you how to pick it, or read this article – the technique will also work for the tourteau.
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Chilling time 1 hour
Servings: 4 people
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 pound ripe avocados (450 g), or about 2 or 3 avocados, depending on variety
  • ½ green apple (about 100 g), or 1 scant cup green apple slices
  • 4 teaspoons lemon juice
  • 1¼ cups (300 ml) vegetable stock (or ½ high-quality vegetable bouillon cube, dissolved in 1¼ cups hot water)
  • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt or more to taste
  • 1 small handful fresh cilantro
  • 4-5 ounces (115-140 g) fresh-picked lump, backfin, or claw crab meat (pasteurized is fine)
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • freshly ground pepper

Equipment

  • Food processor, traditional blender, or immersion blender

Method
 

  1. Cut the avocadoes in half and remove the pit. Scoop all the flesh into the bowl of a blender or food processor.
  2. Cut one end off the apple half, and place it in a bowl, cut side down, with 1 teaspoon lemon juice – you’ll use this to make little matchsticks for the decor. Peel and seed the rest of the apple, and add it to the avocado.
  3. Blend or process the avocado and apple, then add 2 teaspoons lemon juice, vegetable stock, and salt. Carefully blend or process again. Cool completely, and refrigerate for 1 hour. (Any longer than that, and the avocado will begin to turn brown and a little bitter.
  4. When you’re ready to serve, reserve 4 pretty cilantro leaves, and finely chop the rest. In a medium bowl, mix together with a fork the chopped cilantro, crab meat, olive oil, the remaining 1 teaspoon lemon juice, and salt and pepper.
  5. Gently pour or spoon the avocado puree into 4 cocktail glasses, and then very gently spoon about ¼ cup of crab on top of each portion. Finely slice the piece of apple you reserved in the lemon juice to make 8-12 matchsticks (or cut them in the shape of your choice). Place them on top of the crab, and decorate with the cilantro leaves. Bon app’!

Notes

Serves 4 as a first course in cocktail glasses; avocado purée makes about 2½ cups (650 g).
© Allison Zinder