How to Make Shrimp or Crab Louie

Introduction

A satisfying seafood classic that's also incredibly easy to make, this dish
succeeds on the quality of the shrimp or crab you use, so use the best you
can find. Serves four as a first course or nice lunch.

Things You'll Need

  * 1 1/3 c. mayonnaise
  * 1/4 c., or so, heavy creams
  * 2/3 c. ketchup
  * 5 to 6 c. cooked Dungeness crabs or cooked shrimp
  * cracked black pepper
  * 1 head iceberg lettuce
  * noniodized salt

Step One

Place the mayonnaise, ketchup, and a pinch of salt in a small bowl and mix
well.

Step Two

When combined, stir in the heavy cream. Chill the dressing until needed.

Step Three

Remove the outer leaves from the lettuce and slice the head vertically into
quarters. Each quarter should have a sliver of the core.

Step Four

Slice away the core from each quarter and shred the lettuce coarsely.

Step Five

Divide the lettuce among four plates.

Step Six

Divide the shrimp or crabmeat and place on top of the lettuce.

Step Seven

Spoon a generous amount of dressing on top of the shrimp or crab.

Step Eight

Use a pepper mill to crack some fresh black pepper over each plate.

Step Nine

Garnish with lemon wedges, pitted olives, diced tomato, hard-boiled eggs or
capers, if desired.

Tips & Warnings

  * There are many recipes for Louie dressing, but most start with a
    two-to-one mixture of mayonnaise and ketchup or chili sauce. You can
    modify the basic recipe by adding pickle relish, pureed or minced onion
    (with juice), or diced pimiento.
  * Crab Louie is almost always made with Dungeness crab, a West Coast crab
    that can be shipped anywhere in the country. It can also be made with
    Maryland blue crab or stone crab - but stay away from Alaskan king crab.
  * Cook and chill the seafood yourself for the best results. You can also
    make your own mayonnaise; it's easy and tastes much better.