Respite

Just when I started getting used to waking up to frosty mornings, hills smokey with fog, and bowls upon bowls of hot soup, I woke up one morning to what felt like spring. The skies have been a sharp clear blue, the air smelling of clean soil, and all the neighborhood children have emerged to ride bikes on the street.

It may be short lived, but for now, we are really enjoying this hint of spring.

The little break from the cold and the rain feels like a mini vacation, and urges one to detox from a winter of heavy foods and endless sweets. I may not be able to indulge in a beach vacation right now, but these little salad boats were a great way to imagine my way to warm sand and a sea breeze.

Endive Spears with Crab, Pomelo and Avocado are simple, light, and what I call spa food. Nestled in endive leaves are sturdy chunks of brightly flavored pomelo, creamy avocado, and crab kissed with a hint of rice vinegar. And sprinkled on top, sandy grains of ruby red Molokai salt. This would make for a fresh appetizer, but for me today, it was the ideal afternoon snack.

Endive Spears with Crab, Pomelo and Avocado

Serves 4-6

12 endive leaves
1 pomelo, segmented (see How to Peel/Segment a Grapefruit for tips), each segment sliced into thirds
1 avocado, thinly sliced
6-8 oz crab
light drizzle rice vinegar
cilantro, finely chopped
best quality course salt for finishing (I used red Molokai salt, but any good Kosher salt will do), to taste

In each endive spear, arrange pomelo and avocado. Top with crab. Drizzle lightly with rice vinegar. Garnish with cilantro and finishing salt. Serve immediately.

by Liren on January 23, 2011

34 Comments

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A Little Yumminess — January 23, 2011 @ 11:16 pm (#
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It has been feeling like spring around here….the trees are starting to bloom. This dish seems perfect for it! Light and yummy!
Tes — January 23, 2011 @ 11:26 pm (#
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What a beautiful dish! It is so light and fresh and balance. I just love pomelo. It sounds perfect serving this way :)
Jill Colonna — January 24, 2011 @ 12:35 am (#
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It’s still cold here in Paris but this dish looks so delicious I’m sure it will bring Spring along in our minds. Lovely combination!
fooddreamer — January 24, 2011 @ 4:05 am (#
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It definitely doesn’t feel like spring here! But these look delicious and I love avocado with crab. I would happily devour these while looking out my window at the 3 ft of snow!
Stephanie @ okie dokie artichokie — January 24, 2011 @ 5:27 am (#
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I love it. Looks so classy and refreshing. I would definitely put at least 8 of those onto my Super Bowl Party plate. :-p And eat them all!
Lisa { AuthenticSuburbanGourmet } — January 24, 2011 @ 6:20 am (#
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I love that it felt like Spring the last few days – although I not sure how long it will last. What a perfect fresh appetizer – I bet it was hard to eat just one. :-)
- Liren replied: — January 25th, 2011 @ 11:38 pm
  
  Oh yes, I ate that whole plate all by myself :)
norma — January 24, 2011 @ 6:46 am (#
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It’s 10 degrees in New York, but this looks so good to eat right now….
- Liren replied: — January 25th, 2011 @ 11:38 pm
  
  Brrr, Norma! I send you warm thoughts!
Jean — January 24, 2011 @ 8:07 am (#
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What perfect starters! You and I are in a crabby state of mind, Liren! I’ve just posted crab cakes (w/ avocado relish), too. :-) I can almost taste the perfect balance of flavors. Yum!
- Liren replied: — January 25th, 2011 @ 11:38 pm
  
  Hee hee, I’m always in a crabby mood :) Love crab in all its forms, and crab cakes are one of my weaknesses!
skip to malou — January 24, 2011 @ 8:09 am (#
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love how they are called salad boats… makes me want to sail away to spring.. or better yet SUMMER!

definitely a breath of fresh air!
- Liren replied: — January 25th, 2011 @ 11:37 pm
  
  If only we could sail away to spring!
heather — January 24, 2011 @ 8:57 am (#
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I’m all over this idea! If my bridesmaids and maid of honor weren’t seafood-phobes, I’d request this as finger food for my bridal shower. Perhaps I’ll use them to counter my fiancé’s chicken wings for the Superbowl. I AM a dietitian after all — have to have at least one healthy, nourishing thing! These look fantastic; definitely a hint of spring in the cold, grey of winter.

Cheers and thanks for the idea,

*Heather*
- Liren replied: — January 25th, 2011 @ 11:36 pm
  
  Oh no, seafood phobic friends? Ah well, I love the idea of serving them at a Superbowl party. VERY unexpected but I’m sure even the manliest man would take a bite. Maybe kick it up with some jalapeno to entice them :)
  - heather replied: — January 26th, 2011 @ 5:18 am
    
    Good call — cheers!
Hyosun Ro — January 24, 2011 @ 9:15 am (#
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Lovely! Thanks for the great gourmet idea.
Stephanie @ Per l'Amore del Cibo — January 24, 2011 @ 9:22 am (#
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I seriously want to just pull these things off of my screen and eat them. Right. NOW. They look so fresh and delicious!
- Liren replied: — January 25th, 2011 @ 11:35 pm
  
  Thank you Stephanie!!
Kate @ Diethood.com — January 24, 2011 @ 9:48 am (#
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These would be great to serve at a dinner party – they look wonderful!
A Canadian Foodie — January 24, 2011 @ 4:28 pm (#
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Respite.
What a perfect word for this bite and this moment.
Beautiful.
:)
Valerie
- Liren replied: — January 25th, 2011 @ 11:35 pm
  
  Thank you, Valerie! We all need that little break, once in a while :)
Becky — January 25, 2011 @ 4:37 am (#
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What a beautiful salad and I love the fresh, healthy ingredients with the endive and pomelo. This would be a light, healthy appetizer.
Sylvie @ Gourmande in the Kitchen — January 25, 2011 @ 6:33 am (#
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The weather has been warming up here in LA too recently, it does feel like a little bit of spring, although I’m not sure where winter went this year since it never got very cold. Well I’m enjoying it anyways. Grapefruit and endive are perfect for those warmer weather days when you crave something crisp and refreshing.
- Liren replied: — January 25th, 2011 @ 11:34 pm
  
  Hi Silvie – oh, that makes me miss the “winters” in LA (we lived there for about two years). I do love that the grapefruit season is in the wintertime – it’s a great way to hang on till the real warm weather!
Brian @ A Thought For Food — January 25, 2011 @ 6:37 pm (#
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I had to stop reading the first part of this post… we’re FREEZING here!

But… but… I forgive you because you have posted yet another beautiful endive recipe (you know how I love endive).
- Liren replied: — January 25th, 2011 @ 11:33 pm
  
  Aw, I do feel bad for my East Coast friends! When I was typing this out, I did feel a few pangs of guilt that I was gushing about our warm weather when the rest of the country is shivering. But hopefully we can all use our imaginations and pretend that summer is around the corner. Thank you for forgiving me :)
Kita — January 25, 2011 @ 7:31 pm (#
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These look divine. Clean crisp and full of great flavors and textures.
Monet — January 25, 2011 @ 9:31 pm (#
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Such simple and fresh ingredients guarantee success! This looks like the perfect snack on a warm winter day. We are starting to see the sun again in Austin, and I’m eager for warm weather and light food like this. Thank you for sharing, sweet friend. May the middle of your week be full of joy and laughter.
lil @ sweetsbysillianah — January 25, 2011 @ 11:19 pm (#
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these are definitely on the menu for my next dinner party… i love crab and avocado! and i’ve been wondering what i could make with endives… these are perfect! =)
Joy — January 26, 2011 @ 2:26 pm (#
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That looks utterly lovely.
Olga @ MangoTomato — January 27, 2011 @ 1:26 pm (#
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those are gorgeous and really do scream spring! love using endives as vessels for food.
Magic of Spice — February 5, 2011 @ 2:53 pm (#
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All of my favorite things wrapped up like a gift :)
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