Seafood Salad
I called my daddy last week and told him I needed some help with a project. I needed some “background boards” to use when taking food photos. I have no idea what the professional term for such things is but it’s a wooden platform you can set your food on to take pictures if you’re so inclined.
I've been trying to step up my photography game a little bit and have been experimenting with lighting and taking photos in places other than my counter (which I’m sure you’re all verrrry familiar with) but that means I need something to set the food on to take the photos.
Like this… (we’ll get to the recipe in a minute)
Anywho, Daddy suggested we ride “down to the country” which means the land he hunts on out past where we both grew up. He said there was an old farm there with lots of old wood that we could use to make what I was needing. This sounded perfect to me but mostly I just wanted a chance to spend the day with my daddy. Especially if we were going back through my old stomping grounds.
He and I both now live in town and really miss where we came from sometimes.
We rode by the house he grew up in and I circled back to take a look at it. It’d been a long time since I’d seen it and I was reminded anew where a strong work ethic and good raising will take you.
My parents now live in a very large, very nice home in a very nice neighborhood in a very nice town.
And this is the house my daddy grew up in. A four-room house with no running water.
What’s even more impressive to me than the significant leap my dad has taken from his humble beginnings, is that when we were there, the only emotion he seemed to be experiencing was joy as he described to me the inside. It was like he was walking through the rooms as they were seventy years ago, outlining for me where everything was. He remembers only a loving home, not the humble shack we were standing in front of.
Oh, y’all. I was raised in the very best way by the very best parents. I am so, so grateful.
Dang, y’all gonna make me cry… ANYWAY we were able to find THE COOLEST stuff! I had a hard time settling on what I wanted. I wanted all of it but knew I was limited on space to store these things so I chose old painted boards in both yellow and red, what we think was once an old desktop and an old white cupboard door. I dropped daddy and the wood off at his house and not even two hours later he called and said he was on his way to my house – he’d already cut everything and nailed them together into the size I needed.
See? Outstanding work ethic.
On to the food! So, I know a lot of you are going to want to turn your nose up to this one because it uses imitation crab {GASP!} but I never have understood why imitation crab got such a bad rep. It’s not crab… right. Got that. But that doesn't mean it’s not yummy. It’s made out of fish. Granted, they process the hang out of and then shape it into the little pieces but hello? What do you think lunchmeat is? When was the last time you saw a square ham or round turkey breast? Same deal, Lucille.
I love to make this stuff to have with crackers, serve on a nice crusty roll or to stuff pita with. If you’re in the habit of making tuna salad for lunches and the like, try this as an alternative. And I've yet to serve it to guests that it didn't all get gobbled up.
I’m going to call this seafood salad because... errrr... I can't call it crab salad. And because I often will chop up leftover steamed or boiled shrimp to add to it (Yes, that happens. I live in South Carolina – ain't no shortage in shrimp around here). But also because you can use this recipe to make any sort of seafood salad: imitation crab, shrimp, real crab, lobster or any combination of the like.
And doesn't this look amazing on the board Daddy made for me?! We uptown now, y’all. For reals!
Seafood Salad
14 ounces imitation crab
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1-2 stalks celery (amount per preference), finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
1/2 teaspoon dill
Salt to taste
Separate crab into individual pieces (only if compressed in package – if not, disregard) and chop into 1/2-inch pieces; add to a medium bowl. Add remaining ingredients and gently stir until well combined. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate to store.
If you don’t have any Old Bay, use a combination of celery salt and paprika.
This recipe was featured at the Weekend Potluck!
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