I used to think it would be fantastic to have super powers.
I spent nearly half of my fundamental years pretending to be Wonder Woman. Glittery and glamourous, how could you not admire her? Those fancy gold cuffs and mane of black hair were nothing short of fantastic. Even as a child, I was a sucker for avant garde fashion.
However, the dress-up and fun ended abruptly one sunny afternoon in our San Francisco flat as I flew off the side of the couch in a glorious swan dive. In that moment, I felt so graceful sailing through the air in true Wonder Woman style.
It was not uncommon for me to perform this feat, but practice makes perfect and I did not having the landing perfected.
I landed on my sister.
Crack. Her arm was broken.
She was a delicate bird-like person and her little body (even 3 years older than me) couldn’t stand the force of my huskier frame hurled upon her.
That was the end of Wonder Woman.
In fact, I didn’t think much about superheros again until very recently when I managed to develop my very own superpower.
Although I’ve always been sort of a bloodhound, my sense of smell during early pregnancy was so remarkable that I started thinking of it as a superpower. It was not, however, the type of superpower that one might desire. It was more of a curse.
Public restrooms became a nightmare for me. I couldn’t walk by the popcorn area at Target without feeling faint and sick. And, one lovely evening after a large fish fest at our home with dear friends, I could no longer stand the smell of fish. So strong was the scent lingering in my home for days afterward that I considered moving in with a girlfriend.
Weeks went by and the smell, although technically long faded, sort of lingered in my nose. I found I was able to conjure it whenever the thought accidentally crossed my mind. I worried that I would never be able to eat fish again. Then, during the course of one miraculous week as I marched into my second trimester of pregnancy, my superpower was gone.
Poof. Just like that. You, all of you who told me it would get better, were right.
That’s that. I’m delighted to report I’m back on the fish train. No sushi yet, of course, but please bring on the cooked fish. It can’t hurt me anymore.
So, of course, I was delighted this past weekend when K’s parents arrived in town via boat and gifted us a huge helping of freshly caught crab. We feasted on boiled crab one evening drizzled in lemon and melted butter. The next night, however, was brutally hot. I wasn’t going near a frying pan to make the intentioned crab cakes. Instead, I whipped up this tasty crab salad. It’s the freshest tasting salad you’ll find. I think you’ll really enjoy how the citrus mingles with the fresh crab.
Enjoy it with this golden cornbread and you have the perfect summer meal. And, as far as this cornbread goes, it’s now one of my favorite recipes after much searching and testing. I love Bob’s Redmill. Have I mentioned that before? I really do.
I hope you enjoy this fish as much as I did. It tasted fresh like the ocean. Goodbye superpowers. Hello fresh fish.
Fresh Crab Salad with Citrus Dressing
3 tablespoons orange juice
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon honey
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 red onion, finely diced
Sea salt + Pepper to taste
1/2 pound cooked fresh lump crabmeat, picked over, separated into chunks
1 large (15- to 16-ounce) mango, peeled, pitted, sliced
1 medium avocado, halved, pitted, peeled, sliced
10 oz. mixed spicy green lettuce
Combine first 4 ingredients in small bowl; whisk in oil. Season dressing with salt and pepper. Mix in onion; let marinate 15 minutes.
Layer lettuce, mango, avocado, and crab on a platter. Pour dressing evenly over entire platter. Serve cold.
Adapted from Gourmet
Golden Cornbread
1 cup medium grind cornmeal
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 tsp Salt
4 tsp. Baking Powder
1 Tbsp. Sugar
1 Egg
1 cup Lowfat Milk
1/4 cup Salted Butter
Sift together dry ingredients into a bowl.
Add egg, milk and butter. Beat until smooth, about one minute. Do not overbeat.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Bake in a greased 8-inch pan for 20-25 minutes. Serve warm with butter and honey.
Source: Bob’s Redmill
