Free weekends at home without some special event or out-of-town guests come at a premium this summer. While I love travels and house guests, blogging during the week with a full time job poses a challenge. I’ve talked with other bloggers about getting ahead and having four or five posts in the works, and they agree with me that getting ahead never seems to happen. I’m always struggling just to keep up. This would be one of those weeks.
Last weekend, I bought some beautiful local, organic tomatoes at my neighborhood farmer’s market. I like tomatoes and I use them all year long in salads, but I love the local variety that I can find this time of year. There’s no comparison in the flavor of these tomatoes.
After the food orgy that we had last weekend, I’m still trying to keep things light. The tomatoes that I got over the weekend waited patiently in my vegetable bowl, and a salad of crab and corn seemed to be the perfect way to feature them. A simple pesto vinaigrette gave the salad the perfect summer flavor.
These tomatoes stuffed with crab and corn salad tossed with pesto vinaigrette make a delicious pre-dinner appetizer, a side dish with grilled steak, or a light lunch.
Ingredients
3 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon honey
2 tablespoons prepared basil pesto
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup grape seed oil or other neutral oil
2 ears fresh corn, shucked and silked
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
8 ounces lump crabmeat
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1 avocado, chopped
1 cup grilled corn kernels
2 tablespoons roughly chopped basil leaves, plus additional for garnish
8 medium small tomatoes,
Instructions
Whisk together vinegar, mustard, honey, pesto, salt, and pepper. Continue whisking and slowly add oil until well combined.
1. Brush corn with olive oil. Heat grill or grill pan to high heat. Grill corn over high heat until kernels are browning. Continue to turn corn until all kernels are slightly charred.
2. Remove from grill and cool completely. When cooled, slice kernels off of cob using a sharp knife.
1. Combine crab, bell pepper, onion, avocado, corn, and basil. Add dressing to taste.
2. Cut the top 1/3 off the tomatoes off and remove entire contents with a spoon, leaving only the shell of the tomato. Fill each tomato with crab and corn salad. Garnish with additional basil and serve immediately.
https://southernboydishes.com/2014/06/27/crab-and-corn-salad-with-pesto-vinaigrette/
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Wow, Bill! These are absolutely stunning! I love the charred bits of corn in the salad and the colors are so vibrant! Absolutely gorgeous!
Bill this sounds amazing, love the added grilled corn! What a beautiful salad
Getting ahead? What’s that? As you can tell I’m not getting ahead either because I’ve been gone for 3 weeks purely and because it was so hectic at home and I had no posts backed up!! Finally took some time to get a post together today, and I still don’t have any back ups. It’s just hard to blog and stay afloat.
On a different note, how lovely are these tomato cups? So beautiful , light and refreshing!
That char on the corn looks amazing. I can’t get enough tomatoes and corn during the summer. I can only imagine how good they must taste with lump crabmeat and pesto!
I love it that you took the time to char the corn! I’m sure that added lots of additional flavor to an already delicious salad! Just wish I could find a source for “good, fresh” crab meat!
Yup, I can never get ahead in posts either. Don’t know why, because I have a pretty good idea of what I want to do for the next couple of months. Just don’t want to commit to it, I guess, in case a better idea comes along! Which actually happens a lot. Anyway, such a pretty dish! We have OKish local tomatoes at the moment, but it’s just too early for our climate. Another few weeks, though, and we should start to see them. Great dish — thanks.
Lucky you that your farmer’s markets have tomatoes. We’re a couple of weeks away. Your stuffed tomatoes are gorgeous and the vinaigrette sounds fabulous. I agree it’s hard to have guests and blog at the same time.Once we tried to take photos with guests around and that didn’t work too well. However I usually have something in the “can” when possible.
Sam
I’ve tried blogging and entertaining at the same time and I agree. It just doesn’t work. Thanks for dropping by, Sam!
I can so relate to not having enough time to blog. I’m backlogged! I’m on my month long summer break, and still can’t find time to work on multiple recipe posts! I’ve been craving fresh corn, and I’m anxiously waiting for our tomatoes to ripen. This salad looks both colorful and flavorful. The vinaigrette is one I often make, except for adding pesto. That is brilliant!
Thanks, Debby! It’s an ongoing process to find a balance. Summer is busier for us, so balance is harder to find!