Time spent in the garden and kitchen is not time wasted; the essence of quality is attained through toil, not technology.

Friday, March 30, 2012

FFWD- Crab & Grapefruit Salad

Honest as I am, I have to consign that my crab & grapefruit salad turned into a shrimp salad, although the recipe was followed faithfully besides that.   If you kind Doristas will permit, I shall slightly diverge from cooking for a moment & widen the perimeter somewhat.   You see, I just finished reading a book called
The American Way of Eating by Tracie McMillan.  This story is an examination of our way of procuring, selling and cooking food in restaurants from an undercover viewpoint.   I won't bore you with the details, but it was very thought provoking and well worth the time to read.
It does have an extensive focus on what we spend on food and what a lot of people simply can not afford to indulge in.  When I went to the market to shop for my recipes this week (along with my TWD assignment "Pizza Rustica"); I found myself very carefully adding up prices & running questions through my mind.
Now, I consider myself very blessed to be somewhat lenient with my food budget, especially since my husband & I have already raised our 2 sons & we are empty nesters. BUT when I approached the seafood counter & realized that lump crabmeat would be $26.00 a pound, I gulped & stepped back to ponder that.
Then I moved on & chose to purchase the large shrimp, ever mindful that they were $10.99 per lb. I will end this line of discourse by saying that I spent $57.00 for, basically, the ingredients for 2 recipes- along with some extra fruit and herbs!
 So pretty, so pink!
 Veggierific collection!
 No cooking, Mom-I want to play!
 Chop, chop- almost there.
I did fully enjoy working with the scrumptious ingredients in this recipe- living in Texas, we love our Rio Star red grapefruit, avocados & peppers....so I merrily chopped, scooped and mixed.  The addition of a nice vinaigrette made from the grapefruit juice & olive oil greatly enhanced the lovely parts & pieces of this salad.   We sat down to a delightful and very fresh meal with a cool glass of white wine & some simple saltine crackers with homemade butter.
Please find your way to the French Fridays with Dorie site http://www.frenchfridayswithdorie.com/?cat=10 in order to browse all the posts.    Thank you.

17 comments:

  1. Your book sounds like a really good read. I was shocked at the price of crab and ended up getting 8 oz for the two of us. My husband thought this would be great with shrimp and I am glad to hear that you and Mardi both enjoyed it that way. Great photos! Your dog is so cute.

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    1. Yes, I did consider that but my DH is a big guy & I wasn't sure if half would be enough!
      Yes, my Fritz is a sweetie & he loves to hang out in the kitchen with me!

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  2. Your shrimp salad looks fantastic, Bev! Now I want to try this version - somehow I see the snap of the shrimp working better with the creamy avocado and citrus.

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  3. Where in texas are you? My husband is in the Navy, so we're based in Corpus Christi for a few more months. It's pricy, but I do enjoy being able to buy crab from a local fisherman at the Farmer's Market. That book sounds like an interesting read.

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    1. We live in the Dallas area, but our son is in Portland, near Corpus. We visit fairly regularly- usually dock our trailer out on Port A. I tried to reply on your delightful blog but couldn't get it to post! Thank you for visiting!

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  4. Shrimp sounds like a lovely idea.
    We settled for 8 oz of crabmeat & bulked up on the vegetables. But I agree - sometimes food budgets can get blown on things like this.

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  5. Your shrimp version looks delicious. I heard an interview with Tracie McMillan about her book. It's on my reading list. Sounded interesting, so good to know someone who actually read it recommends it. P.S. Cute pup!

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    1. It is a read worth your time, not only from the food viewpoint but it's social commentary. Thank you for your visit!

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  6. I agree food can be costly, but my husband & I eat out so often, cooking at home is a treat! Your puppy is so CUTE!!!

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    1. I agree; it is worth the splurge & the effort. We are also getting to where we love it when we can just fix a nice meal at home, instead of going out!

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  7. Lovely looking salad! And thank you again for your advice on posting the FFwD Badge on my blog!
    andrea@thekitchenlioness

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    1. You bet- I love your blog all the way from Germany! I have visited you already.

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  8. I love your version! Shrimp is one of my favorite things! Very nice!

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  9. Your shrimp version of this salad looks so pretty and delicious! I would have also opted for the shrimp if mine was 26 dollars a pound. I will have to check out the book you mention…sounds like a good read! This is my first visit to your lovely blog and I am adding you to my google reader! I will see you Tuesday!

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    1. Thank you, Kathy. This blog is definitely a major work in progress! But I am learning with my wonderful Dorie friends

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  10. Interesting book - putting it on my list to read. $57 for a salad is a bit costly - makes you wonder sometimes what we do in the name of food. I bet it was terrific with the shrimp.

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  11. You have a great blog, and the salad looks yummy! Thanks for stopping by my blog!!

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