Crab Cobb Salad With Caramelized Pecans

Total Time: 40 mins Preparation Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 25 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 1 3/4 cups pecan halves
• 1/4 cup sugar
• salt, to taste
• 1/8-1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, to taste
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 bag pre-washed salad greens (i used half a bag of romaine and half a bag of “spring greensâ€?)
• salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 8 slices hickory smoked bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled
• 1 1/2 cups diced seeded fresh tomatoes
• 1 cup grated carrot
• 2 large avocados, peeled,pitted and diced
• 3/4 lemon, juice of, divided
• garlic salt, to taste
• 1 1/2 cups lump crabmeat or 1 1/2 cups imitation crabmeat (or a combination)
• 2 -3 ounces crumbled gorgonzola or 2 -3 ounces blue cheese
• ranch dressing

Recipe

• 1 make caramelized pecans (see directions below), cook bacon and drain and crumble, and prepare vegetables.
• 2 squeeze juice of half a lemon onto avocado pieces, sprinkle them with garlic salt, and stir gently to coat.
• 3 squeeze remaining lemon juice onto crab.
• 4 place salad greens in a large bowl.
• 5 sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss gently.
• 6 arrange toppings in triangle or pie-wedge shaped areas on top of salad in the following order clockwise: crab (at “12 o’clock”), avocado, bacon, carrot, gorgonzola, pecans (1 to 1 ½ cup), tomato.
• 7 serve from the middle outward, grabbing lettuce from underneath and taking bits from the various toppings.
• 8 pass ranch dressing.
• 9 enjoy!
• 10 caramelized pecans: place pecans and sugar in large metal skillet.
• 11 sprinkle with salt, cayenne and garlic powder.
• 12 cook on medium-low, stirring constantly, until sugar begins to melt and stick to the bottom of the pan, about 4-6 minutes.
• 13 continue stirring one minute, then lower heat to low and continue stirring constantly until sugar liquefies and the pecans are fully coated, about 3-5 more minutes.
• 14 remove immediately from heat and spread to cool on foil sprayed with cooking spray.
• 15 when cool, separate gently.
• 16 note: this makes a bit more than you’ll need for the salad to provide for the “munch” factor!