This week’s recipe was approached with trepidation due mainly to my abhorrence of grapefruit. The fact that grapefruit needs gobs of sugar to make it edible is contrary to the idea of fruit. To me, fruit should be naturally sweet if it’s meant to be eaten alone. However, I gave this salad a whirl because of the lump crab meat. I mean, if a salad has delicious seafood, it must be worthwhile, right? So, I added grapefruit to my shopping list and hoped for the best.
During my shopping trip, I wondered how I would successfully maneuver segmenting a grapefruit when I’ve only ever seen it sliced in half. To that end, I skipped the prep work and purchased two single-serve, pre-sliced, packed in its own juice grapefruit cups. Yeah, I did it. Had I been squirted in the eye by my clumsy attempt at preparing a whole grapefruit, I probably would’ve thrown it out and not even bothered making the salad.
Anyway, while the grapefruit segments dried for two hours, I chopped the scallion, red bell pepper, cucumber, and mint, and I realized that this salad would be rather colorful and appealing, which made me hopeful for its taste. After picking over the lump crab meat and tossing all the ingredients together with a splash of lime juice, salt, and pepper, the surprising highlights turned out to be the crunchy bell peppers and the bits of mint. I even enjoyed the grapefruit! Though, I left them on the side and just mixed in a few segments every time I made a serving, just in case. (Baby steps.) I definitely wouldn’t mind making this again as long as the grapefruit is left “on the side” because it was a refreshing way to usher in springtime here in Chicago!
To see how others fared with this crab & grapefruit salad, check out French Fridays with Dorie where we make recipes from Dorie Greenspan’s Around My French Table: More Than 300 Recipes from My Home to Yours.
Mar 30, 2012 @ 01:06:48
This looks wonderful! I have never tried crab meat in salad before. I like the mixture of colours!
Mar 30, 2012 @ 01:07:41
Yay!! I felt like I was in suspense the whole time, waiting to see if you liked it or not. Way to go adding the grapefruit even though you don’t normally like it. It looks beautifully delicious.
Mar 30, 2012 @ 01:25:23
What a great combination, combination! have a great weekend.:)
Mar 30, 2012 @ 02:58:19
I love crab meat and this salad is totally up my alley.
Mar 30, 2012 @ 03:14:59
It sure looks a stunner with all the vibrant colours. Grapefruit- I have a smoothie of it along with oranges first thing in the mornings. I have gotten used to the taste
Mar 30, 2012 @ 04:45:53
Happy to hear that one of the grapefruit haters loved this salad. I happen to be one of the grapefruit lovers who didn’t love this salad. Though, from what I have seen so far, I might have been the only one. Kudos to you for giving this a go despite your trepidation!
Mar 30, 2012 @ 04:47:27
I am on a diet right now so any good recipes for salads are more than welcomed! i love the colors and the ingredients, definitely a winner!
Mar 30, 2012 @ 05:09:24
What a weird but great combination!!
Mar 30, 2012 @ 05:17:12
I understand your dislike for grapefruit. It is not an easy taste, it’s an acquired one. And, buying the already-segmented cups was brilliant. I am surprised tho pleased that you liked the end result. Your salad looked pretty – I like that about this dish. Fun to serve. Is there another fruit that you would like that would do the trick in this salad? It’s a good one. May I say, your Posts are amusing. Mary
Mar 30, 2012 @ 05:35:25
Your salad looks perfectly palatable and I love your little serving dish. My mother used to give me half a grapefruit for breakfast and it was the yellow variety, not the ruby so was extra specially sour. I ate it but don’t know how I did it! xx
Mar 30, 2012 @ 05:55:07
Too funny! But if I think fennel, I completely understand your reluctance! Salad is beautiful, however. Wouldn’t that be perfect for a nice brunch?
Mar 30, 2012 @ 06:05:46
There are sweet pink grapefruit too, which work well in salad.
Mar 30, 2012 @ 06:12:20
Hooray!!! I’m glad you gave this a shot π Love your presentation!
Mar 30, 2012 @ 06:37:49
Yay! I am so glad you decided to give this a go. It looks delicious, and your little shell dish is perfect for seafood.
Mar 30, 2012 @ 06:45:26
I think this looks awesome and am glad to see it. I’d like it as is because I like grapefruit. Kudos to you for stepping outside your comfort zone.
Mar 30, 2012 @ 06:51:01
ATTENTION! ATTENTION! EVERYONE READING THIS BLOG:
YOU MUST TRY THIS ULTRA YUMMY SALAD!! IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR THE “WOW!!!!!” FACTOR…THIS IS THE DISH–PERFECT FOR BRUNCH, OR A LIGHT SUMMER-TIME DINNER!
Mar 30, 2012 @ 06:53:05
Glad you gave the recipe a try and will make it again. I find early season grapefruits is a bit more sour, but as the season progresses they are actually quite sweet. Try the pink or red ones.
Mar 30, 2012 @ 07:09:43
Oh, you are killing me π Grapefruit actually can be quite sweet – try running a half of Ruby red under the broiler.
Your salad looks lovely – happy you gave it a shot.
Mar 30, 2012 @ 07:41:18
I love seafood and my favorite is crab meat. I would love to try this salad. It looks so delicious!
Mar 30, 2012 @ 08:18:13
The presentation looks beautiful! And good on you for incorporating the grapefruit into in although it’s not a favorite:)
Mar 30, 2012 @ 09:04:17
I love your pretty presentation. I make a grapefruit and crab salad with avocado that I like.
Mar 30, 2012 @ 09:07:11
I’m so glad you tried this even though you don’t like grapefruit – I have such a hard time trying things I don’t like. Your salad looks beautiful, and I love the dish it’s in!
Mar 30, 2012 @ 09:14:23
I was surprised by this dish too! I pat us both on the back for trying it, even though we don’t like (or thought we didn’t like) grapefruit.
Mar 30, 2012 @ 09:18:31
This is such a delightful salad! I do love grapefruit, so I don’t need any convincing of that π
Mar 30, 2012 @ 09:39:29
This salad looks beautiful and full of tasty ingredients — I’m sure I would like it.
Mar 30, 2012 @ 09:50:11
Your salad looks so pretty in that dish. Glad you enjoyed it even with grapefruit on the side!
Mar 30, 2012 @ 09:53:00
Wow, that does look good!
Mar 30, 2012 @ 10:14:35
I guess one step at a time and soon you’ll be having grapefruit for breakfast, prepared by yourself from scratch:)
Mar 30, 2012 @ 10:15:13
Very pretty salad! So glad you enjoyed it! I also bought pre sliced fresh grapefruitβ¦made my day so much easier!
Mar 30, 2012 @ 10:17:47
You put together a visually stunning salad. I had to smile at the idea of you reluctantly but dutifully adding a piece of grapefruit to the occasional bite of crab salad.
Mar 30, 2012 @ 11:29:34
I like grapefruit and I adore crab, I’m going to bookmark this recipe. Thank you for being my taste tester π
Mar 30, 2012 @ 12:05:44
both your salad and your presentation are beautiful! I was not optimistic about this combination, but it works and we liked it.
Mar 30, 2012 @ 12:10:49
I love how you took baby steps to taste this salad!! I have no problem with grapefruit, so I’ll be able to dig right into this! I love how colorful and full of flavor this salad is!
Mar 30, 2012 @ 13:22:21
So proud of your baby steps, YC! I totally thought about buying the cupped grapefruit but got the whole fruit instead. That’s a perfect way to get a little sweetness into the fruit.
Mar 30, 2012 @ 14:10:50
I never thought I’d see crab and grapefruit in the same sentence before.. but wow.. this actually looks really good.
Mar 30, 2012 @ 14:46:23
What a wonderfully exotic salad – seafood in its most gourmet form π
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Mar 30, 2012 @ 15:10:36
crab and grapefruit…how cool!! so refreshing….and grapefruit season is remarkable this year!!
ps~ your email feed ends up in my spam folder every week?? not sure what is happening, I’m going to try to add you to my google reader.
Mar 30, 2012 @ 16:08:56
SO funny! I happen to LOVE grapefruit, but as a kid we would COVER them in sugar:)
Mar 30, 2012 @ 17:09:14
I love the notion of combining Lump Crab & Grapefruit. It sounds oh so refreshing. Yours looks utterly delicious!
Thank you so much for sharing…
Mar 30, 2012 @ 19:25:42
I want to try this one by switching out the grapefruit with watermelon… that might be more your speed too π LOL, well at least you gave it a try and liked it! : )
Mar 30, 2012 @ 21:13:38
I just love your scalloped dish. Perfect for this salad. I’m glad you overcame your abhorrence of grapefruit. I didn’t find the grapefruit flavor to be strong, so I think this would be good fruitless. I like Alice’s idea of watermelon, too. Very summery.
Mar 31, 2012 @ 01:05:46
What a great dish and dish!
Mar 31, 2012 @ 01:32:58
Your description of this salad already convinced me to try. Sounds so wonderful and I love the vivid color of the salad! I’m allergic to crab (so sad! I started when I was 20+) but I can eat small portion like this. Can’t wait to try!
Mar 31, 2012 @ 08:35:39
I love your post…you are so funny! I’m not a grapefruit fan either.
Great looking salad.
Mar 31, 2012 @ 09:59:03
I’ve never had a salad even remotely close to this- I’m loving this creative mixture of ingredients!
Mar 31, 2012 @ 10:25:29
Light and refreshing flavors. Your grapefruit phobia is very funny!
Mar 31, 2012 @ 11:18:57
this salad rocks love it
Mar 31, 2012 @ 13:48:29
Fascinating! You’re the second blogger I’ve read today that’s kind of ‘eh’ on grapefruit. I had no idea it had such a bad rap! I think you salad turned out beautifully though π
Mar 31, 2012 @ 15:53:30
Love the sea shell dish! Good idea about the pre-cut grapefruit. I did squirt myself a bunch trying to get he segments out.
Mar 31, 2012 @ 17:54:02
This is SUCH a unique combination! And the ideal summer dish – it is so light yet sounds so yummy, I could definitely picture this at a beach barbecue or something fun!
XO Star @ Peace Love Wander
Mar 31, 2012 @ 19:27:38
Beautiful presentation. Love the dish for this salad.
Apr 01, 2012 @ 03:47:28
This combination sounds so interesting! And it looks too good for words! Gorgeous!
Apr 01, 2012 @ 08:34:57
It looks so good and I love that cute dish it’s on!
Apr 01, 2012 @ 09:06:07
Your presentation is great, love the dish! We really enjoyed this salad also, nice light dinner.
Apr 01, 2012 @ 10:10:39
I just had a salad on Friday night at that had grapefruit and shrimp in it…it was delicious! Although I imagine the crab is even more decadent.
Hope you are having a good weekend so far!
Apr 01, 2012 @ 11:37:30
hi yummy chunklet, your salad looks so catchy and appetizing. the colors are attractive too. in time , you will acquire the taste for that bitter sour grape fruit..
i dont fancy its taste either- have a nice day
Apr 01, 2012 @ 15:55:39
Crab meat is so rich and delicious and would make this salad! Love it!
Apr 01, 2012 @ 17:42:09
A stunning salad, and I love citrus with crabmeat. Grapefruit isn’t my favorite, so I can understand your trepidation.
Apr 01, 2012 @ 19:14:19
Mhmm I love grapefruit. I’d never guess that it would taste good with crab meat though! Looks fab.
Apr 02, 2012 @ 01:17:38
Crab meat along with grape fruit…this salad looks and sounds delicious…
So fresh and full of summerish flavors…
I need to try this soon.
Apr 02, 2012 @ 07:07:59
I love making light and refreshing salads like this – I definitely would have been sold on the lump crab meat too =)
Apr 02, 2012 @ 07:16:14
It’s funny how tastes differ. I’d love the grapefruit in this salad, but I could never make it because of my husband’s allergy to crab! Regardless, it’s a beautiful salad.
Apr 02, 2012 @ 09:31:48
Crab & grapefruit?! What an interesting combination!
Apr 02, 2012 @ 10:30:40
love love love crab salad and the flavor of the grapefruit is just so creative and I bet so amazing with the crab
Apr 02, 2012 @ 10:56:27
Gorgeous salad – love all the colors! Glad you got over your grapefruit fear. π
Apr 02, 2012 @ 12:31:09
I never would have thought to pair the two recipe together but I think I’d prefer oranges or mandirins in place of the grapefruit! I too got squirted in the eye one too many times w/ a grapefruit! Have a great week!
Apr 02, 2012 @ 13:50:43
My love for crab knows no bounds!
Apr 02, 2012 @ 14:26:13
I love how colorful this salad is!
Apr 02, 2012 @ 14:43:43
Looks pretty, glad you found it better than you thought.
Apr 02, 2012 @ 17:27:15
Hi Ms Yummy, your salad is so pretty, but I think I would have the grapefruit on the side also. and you even liked it……and will make again see what happens when we go outside our comfort zone…………..have a great day andi
Apr 02, 2012 @ 17:59:01
The ruby color of that grapefruit just Pops! in that salad. What a lovely combination!
Apr 02, 2012 @ 17:59:44
The ruby in that grapefruit just Pops! in the salad. What a lovely combination.
Apr 02, 2012 @ 19:17:10
Oh yummy… crab & grapefruit. Great combination I haven’t tried yet.. definitely easy to arrange at this time of year!
Apr 02, 2012 @ 19:55:38
What a unique and fantastic combination! Looks delicious.
Apr 02, 2012 @ 21:06:07
This is such a beautiful salad and so perfect for spring! I think the citrus tang sounds like it would be good with the crab– Dorie does it again! π
Apr 03, 2012 @ 01:54:38
Happy Springtime. I am not good with grapefruit it makes me break out a bit, but I love it ,…. especially in a salad with crab!
Apr 03, 2012 @ 16:03:59
Amazing photos! Bright and colorful. Maybe next time try it with a citrus you like. Grapefruit is definitely one of the more diffult citrus varietals to fall in love with. Can’t wait to try this one on catch up this week.
Apr 03, 2012 @ 21:49:28
This is one salad I would devour.. no dainty eating going on with this one! I admire your pretty dish as well, the perfect way to plate this recipe!! xo Smidge
Apr 24, 2012 @ 11:01:16
This looks delicious and very refreshing!