Crab Napoleon Salad

This no cook, summer fresh dish is inspired by the Italian Caprese salad. Shelled Alaskan King Crab is ideal here, but if using frozen and thawed crab, choose claw meat for best texture and color.

Ingredients:

2 4 inch whole grain pitas
Olive oil cooking spray
4 red vine tomatoes, divided
2 tsp avocado or extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 tbsp olive oil mayonnaise
1 tbsp grainy or Dijon mustard
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
8 oz cooked lump crab meat; picked over for shells
Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
2 yellow vine tomatoes
1 firm ripe avocado; peeled, pitted and sliced into 8 thin slices
8 large leaves fresh basil, plus additional sprigs for garnish
1 5 oz ball fresh buffalo mozzarella; drained and thinly sliced

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. With a small sharp knife, split each pit into 2 single layer rounds, Mist both sides of each round with cooking spray and transfer to a large baking sheet. Bake turning once, until golden and crisp; 6 yo 8 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool on baking sheet.

Meanwhile; prepare vinaigrette. Cut 1 red tomato in half crosswise. Over a small bowl, squeeze out as much juice and seeds as possible and collect in bowl. With a small spoon scoop out tomato pulp and add to juices. Mixture should total 1/3 cup; if not, repeat with 1 additional red tomato. Stir in oil and set aside.

In a separate bowl, combine mayonnaise, mustard and lemon juice, fold in crab meat, salt and pepper and set aside.  Slice remaining 2 red tomatoes and yellow tomatoes crosswise into 1/2 inch thick slices.

Divide pita rounds among plates. Layer each with avocado, red tomatoes, basil, mozzarella, crab mixture, yellow tomato, and additional basil mozzarella and crab mixture. Drizzle vinaigrette over top and around each dividing evenly. Garnish with basil sprigs.