Crab Cobb Salad with Caramelized Pecans

Unlike the one-person Cobb salads at restaurants, here everyone serves him/herself from one big beautiful bowl (though you can of course arrange individual salads, if you prefer). The crab, bacon and avocado make a fantastic combination, the carrots are a colorful, light alternative to shredded cheese, and the caramelized pecans are to-die-for, especially with the blue cheese. YUM! Serves 4 as main dish, 6 as side salad.

• Ready In: 40 mins
• Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

• 1 3⁄4 cups pecan halves
• 1⁄4 cup white sugar
•  salt, to taste
• 1⁄8-1⁄4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, to taste
• 1  teaspoon garlic powder
• 1  bag  pre-washed  salad greens (I used half a bag of romaine and half a bag of “spring greens”)
•  salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 8  slices  hickory smoked bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled
• 1 1⁄2 cups  diced seeded fresh tomatoes
• 1  cup  grated carrot
• 2  large avocados, peeled,pitted and diced
• 3⁄4  lemon, juice of, divided
•  garlic salt, to taste
• 1 1⁄2 cups lump crabmeat or 1 1⁄2 cups  imitation crabmeat (or a combination)
• 2 -3  ounces  crumbled gorgonzola or 2 -3  ounces blue cheese
•  ranch dressing

Directions

1. Make caramelized pecans (see directions below), cook bacon and drain and crumble, and prepare vegetables.
2. Squeeze juice of half a lemon onto avocado pieces, sprinkle them with garlic salt, and stir gently to coat.
3. Squeeze remaining lemon juice onto crab.
4. Place salad greens in a large bowl.
5. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss gently.
6. Arrange toppings in triangle or pie-wedge shaped areas on top of salad in the following order clockwise: crab (at “12 o’clock”), avocado, bacon, carrot, gorgonzola, pecans (1 to 1 ½ cup), tomato.
7. Serve from the middle outward, grabbing lettuce from underneath and taking bits from the various toppings.
8. Pass ranch dressing.
9. Enjoy!
10. Caramelized Pecans: Place pecans and sugar in large metal skillet.
11. Sprinkle with salt, cayenne and garlic powder.
12. Cook on medium-low, stirring constantly, until sugar begins to melt and stick to the bottom of the pan, about 4-6 minutes.
13. Continue stirring one minute, then lower heat to low and continue stirring constantly until sugar liquefies and the pecans are fully coated, about 3-5 more minutes.
14. Remove immediately from heat and spread to cool on foil sprayed with cooking spray.
15. When cool, separate gently.
16. Note: This makes a bit more than you’ll need for the salad to provide for the “munch” factor!