Dungeness Crab Guacamole with Endive Recipe
Chefs have a way of making things indulgent in the best possible way. Take this recipe by Jose Garces of Amada restaurant in Philadelphia, for example: Two of everyone’s favorite flavors—crab and guac—combine for a terrific appetizer.
Game plan: To roast the garlic and jalapeño, coat them in vegetable or canola oil and place in a 500°F oven until the garlic is golden brown and the jalapeño skin is blistered and blackened. If you don’t have time for this, don’t worry; the roasted garlic and jalapeño add a nice complexity to the dish, but the guacamole will be delicious regardless.
Special equipment: A molcajete is a Mexican mortar and pestle. If you don’t have one, you can substitute a standard mortar and pestle or a bowl and a large fork or spoon.
This recipe was featured as part of our Suckling Pig for the Holidays menu, as well as our Chile Pepper Recipes and Bar Snacks photo galleries.
- 2 medium ripe Hass avocados
- 3 medium garlic cloves, roasted
- 1 medium jalapeño, roasted, stem and seeds removed, and finely chopped
- 1/2 pound Dungeness crabmeat, picked clean of shell fragments
- 1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
- 1 medium plum tomato, seeded and finely chopped
- 6 tablespoons fresh cilantro, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 heads endive, leaves removed and edges trimmed
- 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
- Garlic Chips, for garnish (optional)
- Halve avocados, remove pits and skins, and coarsely chop. Place in a molcajete or bowl and add roasted garlic. Mash until only small chunks remain. Add roasted jalapeño, crabmeat, onion, tomato, 4 tablespoons of the cilantro, lime juice, and salt and stir until just combined.
- Place endive leaves on a serving plate and dollop each with guacamole.
- Combine remaining 2 tablespoons cilantro and olive oil in a small bowl, season with salt, and stir until thoroughly mixed. Drizzle oil on top of each endive leaf and garnish with a garlic chip, if using.