Crab salad

Dungeness Crab and Winter Citrus Salad

From late fall into very early spring ― peaking about now, in fact ― the flavor of certain kinds of citrus is at its best, and the fruits’ membrane walls are packed to bursting with juice. It’s prime time for grapefruit and tangy, vibrant blood oranges.

Dungeness crab has a shorter period of plenty, but the Dungeness harvests along the Pacific Coast are cresting right now, bringing the best-quality, best-priced, meatiest crabs to market.

This serendipitous overlap makes possible a marvelous main-dish salad. You can cook and shell your own crab (my favorite option) for the best value and taste. Or you can purchase shelled cooked crab ― in which case you’ll appreciate how the rice extends the crab, and therefore the satisfaction factor of the salad, while keeping the cost of ingredients under control.