Crab Stack

One of the highlights of Houston is shopping. Surprised? Houston is the fourth largest city in the United States and the capital of the international oil and gas industry! Like any international city, Houston offers an incredible selection of restaurants, shopping malls  featuring top-notch stores, and outlet malls where you can get great bargains. 

Coming to Houston and not going to the Galleria is the same thing as going to NY and not visiting the Empire States (ooh, bad example, I did that!). Anyway, if you’re at the Galleria, it is likely you will spend a few hours in there. Galleria is gorgeous and so big that you may not cover it all in one day, which is good because it gives you a chance to check out the great restaurants in there. 

Among my favorites is Nordstrom Bistro. On the second floor of the department store, the bistro offers a cozy, chic environment, perfect for getting together with your girlfriend for a nice meal during a shopping spree. 

I enjoyed pretty much everything I tried so far, but for starters (another intended pun!), let's begin with the appetizers. The crab stack is absolutely delicious! Layers of jumbo crab lumps, avocado, tomato and mango topped with a cilantro based-sauce and served with crunchy toasts. YUM!

I adapted their concept for this appetizer and made a crab stack which I served at my Christmas Luncheon last year. The colorful layers were placed in a cup and served with a tiny disposable fork. It was a hit!

You will need:

1 1/2 lb fresh jumbo lump crab meat (use those you get at the refrigerated area of the grocery store)
1 cucumber, diced in small cubes
4 tomatoes, seeded and diced in small cubes
1 Ripe mango, peeled and diced in small cubes
2 Avocados (note: if using Brazilian avocado, 1 would be more than enough)
1 Cilantro bunch
1/2 cup natural yogurt
Salt
White pepper
Juice of 1 lemon
A few leaves of baby arugula or watercress (if using watercress, it needs to be the small one)
12 disposable cocktail glasses

Dice cucumber. Seed, pat dry the tomatoes and dice it. Carefully peel mango and avocado, discard the seeds, and dice it. Try to make the cubes as small as you can without making a puree out of it. Separate all these veggies in stacks to ease assembling dish.

I used clear disposable cocktail glasses (easier to clean up afterwards!), but you can use whatever container you like. Start by putting a small layer of cucumbers, then tomatoes. Add a bit of salt and pepper. I love tomatoes, but they ask for salt and pepper. Add a layer of mango and a layer of avocado. The crab will be the top layer. Pretty, isn't it?

For the sauce, mix the cilantro, yogurt  and lemon juice using a mini-processor or blender. Taste it and add pepper and salt if desired. One thing I learned from watching cooking videos is: always taste what you're preparing before serving. Pour a small amount on top of the crab meat and decorate with a few leaves of tiny watercress or baby arugula (they add a kick to it).

Maintain refrigerated until serving. This appetizer should not be prepared too long before  serving because the avocado may turn dark and ruin the presentation. You can save time by dicing all ingredients in advance and leaving just the avocado and dish "assembly" for later. Serve with small disposable forks  and/or with a long slice of toast.

This recipe will be enough for approximately 12 individual servings. Hope you like it!

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