Curried Crab Salad with Apple and Fennel Recipe – Sydney – Postcards from Australia

G’day friends!

My family and I have been dreaming about traveling to Australia for a long, long time.  We’ve wanted to travel there ever since our Australian exchange student, Hayley, arrived years ago telling us stories about koalas in her backyard and penguins on her beach.   In Australia, many backyards flow right into the bush making sightings of kangaroos and koalas as common as squirrels and robins in Chicago.

Our journey did not start in the bush though. We landed in cosmopolitan Sydney and were lucky enough to stay right smack in front of her most recognizable icons: the Sydney Opera House and Harbor Bridge.

Day 1, we were led through the historic area known as “The Rocks” by our extremely knowledgeable guide, Margaret.  She introduced the tour by saying that she would like to “thank America!”  For what, we wanted to know?  It seems that the American Revolution put a damper on British plans to make the U.S. a penal colony.  When we were no longer available for that task, Britain decided to send its criminals to Australia instead.

After an extremely long and horrible sea voyage, the convicts (or should I say offenders because some did nothing more than steal a loaf of bread) were unloaded upon the unforgiving “rocks.”  What followed was a life of incredible hardship and hard work by the men AND the women.   Eventually, some of the prisoners became gentry…some were kind, some were not, but Australia was born.

Looking at the city today, what you see is a bright multinational conglomerate of sights, sounds and culture.  Our first stop was at an Italian café for cappuccino and pizza…not what I thought would be our first meal in Australia!

Like any big city, the food scene varies.  We are not much for high end “sit on your hands” meals that are highly touted and very expensive…we’d rather search out the hidden gems where locals eat.  Since we were in the middle of the tourist mecca, this wasn’t as easy as we thought it would be, but thanks to local recommendations, including our guide Margaret, we found our way to Fish at the Rocks.  There we found bright flavors and a casual atmosphere.

Of course, seafood was the focus, but presented with a bit of Asia flair.  Dana had a dish similar to this for her entrée (which in Australia is your appetizer); your main course is fittingly called your “main.”  Even though it is Autumn in Australia I think that this dish would be perfect for a warm Spring Sunday supper with your family and friends.

Curried Crab Salad with Apple and Fennel Recipe

Yield: 4 dinner servings, 8 appetizer servings

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes

A light fresh salad with a touch of curry, apple and fennel.

Ingredients:

1 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice (use remaining juice from lemon to squeeze over apples slices)
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/8 teaspoon curry powder
1 pound can of fresh crab meat (pick over to make sure there are no remaining bits of shell)
1 Granny Smith apple, sliced
1 large bulb of fennel, sliced
1 stock of celery, minced

fennel tops for garnish

Directions:

After slicing the apples, squeeze the remaining lemon juice over them to prevent browning, stir to coat them evenly.

Whisk the mayonnaise, lemon juice, lemon zest and curry together till well blended. Fold in crab meat, apple, fennel and celery.

Chill, garnish with fennel tops and serve. I prefer to chill overnight to let the flavors really blend, but it can be served immediately if you need to.

Enjoy!

Posted in Appetizers/Sides, Main Dishes, Observations, Ramblings, Recipes

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