1 head iceberg lettuce, cleaned and chopped
1 cup mixed field greens
4 Roma tomatoes, cut in 1/4-inch dice
1 peeled cucumber, cut in 1/4-inch dice
1 smoked red bell pepper, peeled and cut in julienne strips
1/4 cup Italian parsley, minced
1 cup mozzarella, cut in 1/4-inch dice
3/4 cup pancetta, cut in 1/4-inch dice, cooked crisp, and rained
1 pound cocktail size (16/20) white shrimp chopped
1 pound Dungeness crabmeat
sea salt to taste
4 lemon halves, tied attractively in net or muslin to keep the seeds in when squeezed (optional)
1/2 cup red wine—vinaigrette (recipe follows)
Red Wine Vinaigrette
1 cup good quality red—wine vinegar
2 cups canola and extra-virgin olive oil (equal portions of each), mixed together
1 teaspoon good quality local honey
3 shallots, minced
1 tablespoon chopped fines herbes (a prepared version or make your own)
1 lemon, juiced
1 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
sea salt to taste
Whisk together vinegar, honey, lemon juice, shallots, herbs & black pepper. Whisk in oil form a broken or loose vinaigrette. Season to taste with salt. You will have more than you need for the recipe, so stash the remaining vinaigrette in the fridge.
To prepare salad, in a large mixing bowl combine iceberg, greens, romas, cucumbers, and red bells. Then lightly toss with the red—wine vinaigrette to taste.
In another bowl, combine parsley, mozzarella, Reggiano, pancetta, shrimp, and crabmeat. Lightly toss with the red—wine vinaigrette. Add sea salt to taste.
Evenly divide the lettuce mix from bowl once among four chilled oversized salad plates; evenly divide the crab/shrimp mix from bowl to on top of the lettuce mix; put a lemon half, if using, on each plate. Grind some black pepper (to taste) over each and enjoy. Serves 4.
Editor’s Note: This recipe has not been tested by Texas Monthly.
