Today I made a stop at Caplingler’s Fresh Catch- a local seafood market in town. Living in the Midwest, most of our local grocery stores don’t always have the best options for fresh seafood. (It’s a lot of farm raised salmon and Tilapia). I headed over with their fresh lobster in mind. They have an out of this world lobster roll and had planned just to buy some of the lobster to add to a fresh lemon and romaine salad I’ve been making lately. You can imagine my disappointment when they told me I could only purchase the lobster meat chopped up and tossed with mayo/dressing. So, I instead opted for some fresh, sushi grade tuna.
I have to confess that this recipe isn’t really mine. There is a feature dish at the Ruth’s Chris downtown Indianapolis that is almost the same as this recipe- except served hot on a 500 degree plate and over a broiled tomato. Thus my inspiration. (I’m not sure of the exact recipe, but I know I used very similar ingredients.) I order this feature at least once a week and thought- why not make it at home if I like it so much? So , I added the fresh romaine I purchased today and we had this cold as a salad. The pesto recipe made plenty for left overs- it would be great on burgers, sandwiches, fries or any seafood. I plan on using it on my salmon and chicken for meal prep this week- AND it’s good hot or cold.
This is a GREAT, light summery salad. I didn’t use any dressing besides the red pepper pesto and a squeeze of lemon. So- healthy too!
- 1 head of romaine, split horizontally
- 6 1/2 oz LUMP Crab meat
- 1/3 lb tuna grade sushi
- 1 tbsp creole seasoning
- 1/2 lemon
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- oil for sauteeing
- Season tuna with creole seasoning
- Sear each side on high heat for about 15 seconds on each side. (I like my tuna rare.)
- Remove tuna from pan.
- Add a bit more olive oil, garlic, crab and lemon juice to hot pan.
- Toss until crab meat is warm.
- Let crab and tuna cool.
- Place tuna and crab alternately along the center of the cut romaine.
- Drizzle with red pepper pesto or dressing of choice, and juice from other half of the lemon.
- The recipe for the red pepper pesto is on a separate recipe card below.
Again, this sauce is fabulous. I’m a bit of a dipper and always wanting extra dressing, sauce or ketchup. This pesto is a major flavor bomb, and super healthy too- so go on, have as much as you want!
- 1-12 oz jar of roasted red peppers (drained)
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 1 tsp salt
- 3 Tbsp grated Parmasean Romano
- 2 Tbsp Plain organic Greek yogurt
- Add all ingredients into food processor.
- Blend.
- This sauce stays good in the fridge for at least a week.
Xo Kelli
