CRAB SALAD WITH TOMATO-SAKE GELéE

Crab Salad With Tomato-Sake Gelée image

Provided by Amanda Hesser

Categories salads and dressings, appetizer

Time 25m

Yield Serves 6

Number Of Ingredients 11

Ingredients

3/4 pound ripe tomatoes, chopped
1/4 cup sake
Salt
1 packet gelatin, softened in 3 tablespoons water
1 pound jumbo lump crabmeat or cooked and peeled small shrimp
Zest of 1 lemon
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tablespoon olive oil
8 basil leaves, very thinly sliced
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup finely diced cucumber

Steps:

Purée the tomatoes in a food processor. Strain through a fine-meshed sieve into a small saucepan. This should yield about 1 cup liquid. Add the sake to the tomato water and heat over a medium-low flame until very warm to the touch. Season to taste with salt. Remove from the heat and stir in the gelatin until it is fully dissolved. Pour into a pie dish or other baking dish. Chill until firm.
Just before serving, put the crab in a bowl. Add the lemon zest, lemon juice, olive oil and basil. Season with salt and pepper and toss lightly. Place a small mound to one side of each of 6 plates.
Unmold half the gelée (reserving the rest for another use -- with goat cheese and toasts, for instance) and chop into small pieces. Spoon in a line or half-moon shape next to the crab. Then spoon the cucumber next to the gelée.

Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 119, UnsaturatedFat 2 grams, Carbohydrate 5 grams, Fat 3 grams, Fiber 1 gram, Protein 15 grams, SaturatedFat 1 gram, Sodium 441 milligrams, Sugar 2 grams, TransFat 0 grams