West Coast Salad

By norsegal8

in both Sweden and Norway, West Coast Salad is served as a main course at elegant post-theatre suppers. It is typically made with shellfish caught along the Atlantic west coast, fresh vegetables and a dill dressing. I like to arrange all of the components of the salad on a platter, but the Swedes quite often mix them all up in a bowl.

Ingredients

• DILL DRESSING:
• 2 pounds medium-sized shrimp
• 2 lobster tails, about 1 pound each
• 1 pound fresh, cooked crabmeat
• 1 pound mussels (optional)
• 1 cup dry white wine (if using mussels)
• Iceberg or Romaine lettuce leaves
• 3/4 pound small mushrooms, cleaned and quartered
• 1 pound fresh asparagus, trimmed, blanched and chilled
• 1 cup fresh peas, or 1/2 pound snow pea pods, blanched and chilled
• 2 ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded and diced
• 3 hard-boiled eggs, cut into wedges
• 1 cup caviar
• 2 lemons, cut into wedges
• fresh dill, for garnish
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 6 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• dash of pepper

Preparation

Step 1

Heat a large pot of water to a boil. Add 1 tablespoon salt for each quart of water. Add the shrimp (in their shells) and cook for 3 minutes, or just until pink. Remove from the pot, drain, cool and refrigerate.

Heat the water to boiling again and add the lobster tails. Cook for 8 minutes, or just until pink. Remove from the pot, drain, cool and refrigerate.

Pick over the crabmeat to remove any shells and refrigerate.

If using mussels, scrub them and remove the beards. in a saucepan, heat the wine and shallots until boiling. Add the mussels and cook for 2 minutes, uncovered, until the mussels open. Discard those that don't open. Drain and chill.

Cover a serving platter with crisp lettuce leaves. Shell and devein the shrimp. Arrange the platter. Crack the lobster tails and remove the flesh. Cut the lobster into slices and arrange on the platter. Remove the mussels from their shells and arrnage on top of the lettuce. Arrange the crabmeat in a pile. Arrange the mushrooms, asparagus, peas, tomatoes and eggs in piles on the platter. Surround with thin wedges of lemon. Place the caviar on the platter. Garnish with fresh dill.

To prepare the dressing, in a small bowl, whisk together the oil, vinegar, dill salt and pepper. Just before serving, drizzle the dressing over the salad.