1 pound of fresh jumbo lump crabmeat
Lime and palm sugar dressing (recipe below)
1 continental cucumber, peeled and cut into fine strips
1 small green papaya, skin and seeds removed, sliced into fine julienne
2 green spring onions, finely sliced diagonally
1-2 red chilies, finely julienned
1 cup coriander sprigs, picked
1/4 cup mint leaves
1/4 cup toasted cashews, unsalted
1/3 cup Asian fried shallots (canned are fine)
4 limes, halved
Lime and palm sugar dressing
9 ounces fresh lime juice
9 ounces palm sugar or brown sugar
1 jalapeno pepper, roughly chopped
2 coriander roots
2 basil stems, with leaves on
2 mint stems, with leaves on
2 fresh Kaffir lime leaves
2 tablespoons ginger, roughly chopped
1 stalk lemongrass, bruised with back of a knife
dash of fish sauce to taste
Bring lime juice to a boil in a saucepan. Remove from heat, add sugar and stir until it dissolves, returning to heat if necessary. With a mortar and pestle, lightly crush the chili, herbs, lime leaves, ginger and lemongrass. Add mixture to the lime juice and palm sugar. Allow to infuse for 1 hour. Set aside to cool and season to taste with fish sauce. Strain before using.
To assemble salad: Carefully pick through crabmeat for any shells. Prepare lime and palm sugar dressing as instructed. To make the salad, combine all ingredients, except fried shallots and lime halves, in a bowl. Add enough dressing to moisten. To serve, place dressed salad in the center of four plates. Drizzle salads with more dressing if desired. Sprinkle with fried shallots and garnish with lime halves. Serves 4.
