The green, salty waters of the Salish Sea can be kind and generous, this year it has offered a bountiful supply of crabs in the waters that run through the San Juan Islands. When Captain Splendid called to say our trap runneth over the other day I immediately thought of the delicious creamy, tangy, fresh, flavorful Thousand Island Dressing I could make to top a classic Crab Louis. This dish is the best of both coasts, since Thousand Island dressing originated in the far North East corner of the country {history below} and Crab Louis is said to have been developed on the west coast in the early 1900’s, though there is ongoing discussion as to if it was invented in San Francisco, Seattle or Spokane, Washington.
I am a big believer in homemade salad dressings. They take minutes to prepare and taste so much better than any bottled dressing. The fresh vegetables and quality refrigerator staples used in this dressing make a delicious concoction to liven up salads and sandwiches or to use as a dip and it will last for a week in the refrigerator. I originally published this recipe when I served it with one of my favorite appetizers, Duck Rumaki {duck breast and jalapeno pepper slices wrapped in bacon, yum…. fantastic with margaritas}. But I love it so much on Crab Louis I decided it was time to share it again {see recipe at bottom of post}.
Rather that serving individual composed salads I decided to do a Crab Louis bar so everyone could make their own perfect plate. First up was the classic salad with crispy, chopped romaine lettuce, tender butter lettuce, hard boiled eggs, yellow bell pepper slices, tomato wedges, chopped celery, plus slices of hearts of palm, just to make it extra decadent. The classic version often includes asparagus spears as well. I tossed the lettuce in the dressing, then put the other ingredients on top and drizzled them with more dressing and sprinkled on some salt and pepper.
Next in line was heaps of sweet, fresh Dungeness Crab meat, there was no need to hold back on this night. In general, I recommend offering at least 1/2 crab per person, but more is always welcomed. Thankfully, I had some pro-pickers in the kitchen who quickly freed this tender meat from the bright red shells, click on How to Pick a Dungeness Crab for a great tutorial.
Then, just because it was the end summer and I had some succulent tomatoes from my friends garden, I decided to also offer The Best Taste of Summer Salad, to balance out the feast.
Finally, a bowl of that tasty dressing and a bowl of pickled jalapeno slices for those seeking a little more spunk.
So, here is the recipe, it makes just under 2 cups of dressing.
Thousand Island Dressing
ingredients
ingredients
1 cup mayonnaise
¼ cup chili sauce (ketchup style)
1 medium to large sized shallot
1 stalk celery (cut 2″ pieces)
5 cornichons
1-1″ slice of red pepper
1 quartered hard boiled egg
preparation
Put all ingredients, except the egg, in blender. Cover and blend on a medium setting until vegetables are coarsely chopped (just a couple of seconds). Add egg. Cover and blend just until egg is chopped (another second).
The history of Thousand Island Dressing:
This dressing is reported to have originated the small resort town of Clayton, NY in the Thousand Island area on the St. Lawrence River between Canada and New York State. The wife of a fishing guide, Sophia La Londe, created the dressing at the Clayton Herald Hotel. The owner of the Waldorf-Astoria in NYC was said to have summered at the hotel. He brought the recipe back to the big city and it has been enjoyed and copied ever since!
I hope you have a chance to try this, I promise it will bring your salads and sandwiches to a great new level!!
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