I featured this salad before, in my post “Avocado Salmon Bowls,” where I served it as a topping on a salmon rice bowl.  This time I’m pairing it as a side to go with Crab Cakes. It’s the perfect “Welcome to Spring” meal.

My salad recipe is similar to another recipe I found for an “All Green No-Lettuce Salad” of cucumbers and snap peas that I found on healthfullyeverafter.com. I made a couple minor changes to the original All Green No-Lettuce Salad recipe:  I didn’t have any fresh dill on hand, so I used basil because it goes nicely with the mint that the recipe called for.  Normally, I add some torn baby spinach to the salad but I didn’t have any on hand this time (quarantine times, ya’ll!) so I went with some lettuce I had in the fridge.

My crab cakes are pretty standard, and super easy.  I use an 8 ounce container of crab meat and mix in a beaten egg, some gluten-free flour, rice crumbs, green onions, parsley, a squeeze of lemon, and Old Bay seasoning.  Of course you can use regular flour and bread crumbs if you don’t have to do a gluten-free diet.

You’ll find both recipes below.  Enjoy!

Super Green Crunchy Salad:
2 cups sugar snap peas, cut in half with any stringy tips removed
1 stalk of celery, thinly sliced
1 cup diced English cucumber
1 avocado, diced
Baby spinach leaves, torn
Juice from half a lemon
½ teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon sesame seeds
Salt and pepper to taste

Toss the peas, celery, and cucumber together in a large bowl.  Drizzle the lemon juice and sesame oil over the veggies and toss to coat. Gently fold in the avocado, careful not to mush the avocado pieces.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Chill until ready to serve.

Easy Crab Cakes

8 ounces crab meat
1 egg, beaten
1 tablespoon flour (regular or gluten free)
1/3 cup fine bread crumbs or rice crumbs
1 green onion, minced
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, minced
1 tablespoon Old Bay Seasoning
squeeze of lemon
1 tablespoon canola oil

Mix everything together in a bowl, then chill in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.  Form the mixture into 4 patties and fry in canola oil over high to medium high heat for 3 minutes per side or until a nice golden crust forms.  Serve with remoulade and a slice or lemon.

Remoulade

1/2 cup mayo
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
1 tablespoon minced green onion
1/2 teaspoon sugar or honey
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
dash of hot sauce

Whisk ingredients together in a small bowl, taste, and adjust seasonings if desired.