Curried Crab and Watermelon Salad

Sometimes I am surprised by the things that go beautifully together that at first blush appear to be incompatible. Blue cheese and dessert wine. Goats cheese and rosemary. Chilli and chocolate. Vanilla and fish. I am sure that there is someone with a lot more knowledge than me about the science of taste profiles who could explain why these pairings work. I'm also sure I am not the only one to sometimes look at recipes and wonder whether some combinations are even edible let alone successful. Sometimes however, being bold in your combinations can pay off.

This recipe leapt out at me from a Delicious magazine (December 08/ January 09) that I was thumbing a few weeks ago - one of the reasons I love food mags like this one. It brings together an apparently odd combination of ingredients - watermelon, crab, curry powder - into a very delicious and elegant salad. Even better, it can be prepared an hour or two in advance. It would also work as an hors d'oeuvre if you cut the watermelon circles smaller. The gentle heat of the curried crab sits beautifully with the crisp and sweet watermelon - a perfect last taste of summer.

Curried Crab and Watermelon Salad

from Valli Little in Delicious Magazine

serves 4

1/4 cup olive oil

2 small Granny Smith apples, grated

1/2 onion finely chopped

2 1/2 tsps good quality curry powder

2 tsps lime juice

1 tbs chopped coriander

1 tbs chopped mint

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 cup fresh crabmeat

4 slices of watermelon, 3cm thick, cut into 7cm rounds (use a biscuit or scone cutter)

Pappadams to serve

Heat 1 tbl olive oil over medium heat. Add apple, onion and 1 1/2 tsps curry powder and cook until onion and apple have softened (5 mins or so). Remove from heat and stir in lime juice. Cool slighlty then puree in a blender with herbs and mayonnaise until smooth. Mix with grab, season to taste, then chill.

Combine remaining 2 tsps oil and 1 tsp curry powder in a small bowl. Set aside.

Place a watermelon round on each plate, then using the cutter to help you shape it, pile the crab salad on top of each round. Drizzle with curry mixture and serve with pappadams.