A blinking sign advertising “lump crabmeat $12.50 a pound” caught my eye last evening on my way home. I almost caused an accident as I made a quick turn into the near-empty parking lot of the seafood shop. Had I misread the sign, did it really say $21.50, was it an April Fool’s joke that hadn’t been taken down? I opened the door to the shop and practically yelled “I’ll take two pounds of crabmeat!”

The gentleman behind the counter smiled as he dug out two containers buried in crushed ice from the large, deep trough before us.

Without my asking, he opened the lid on the containers and offered to me. The beautiful lump crabmeat smelled sweet and clean, and I couldn’t detect any shells or cartilage. I nodded and offered him my money (yes it was indeed $12.50 a pound) while he reclosed the containers. I hurried out of the shop with my purchases, anxious to get home to use my beautiful crabmeat.

Should I make crab cakes, or maybe crabmeat imperial, or maybe crab Louis (or Louie as some call it)? I opted for the Louis. Just so you’ll know the dish is one made with fresh lump crabmeat tossed with mayonnaise, chili sauce, minced green onions (scallions), chopped green olives, prepared horseradish, fresh lemon juice and depending on your taste, salt, freshly ground black pepper and a dash or two of hot sauce, all served on a bed of lettuce and usually garnished with a wedge of lemon, a couple of slices of hard-boiled eggs, and capers. Solari’s and the St. Francis Hotel, both in San Francisco, as well as the Olympic Club in Seattle all claim to have created it.

It was one of my father’s favorite crab dishes, and he sometimes added a dab of Creole mustard to the mix and omitted the olives. It’s a dish you can make your own by using your own sense of style. For instance, rather than the prepared horseradish, I put a bit of wasabi in mine and add a bit of very finely chopped celery. A the delights of fresh lump crabmeat and at a bargain to boot!

Filed Under: Culinary History