Greetsieler Krabbensalat

Greetsieler Krabbensalat belongs to the East Frisian coast, to the cutter harbour, the fish counter, and the cold table when the North Sea shrimp are good. You set it down with buttered rye, boiled potatoes, or a simple green salad, and it works for a weeknight because there is no cooking, only care.

The regions split fast on this one. On the coast, the shrimp stay first: a little mayonnaise, lemon, chives, maybe dill. Further inland, people start adding egg, cucumber, apple, and enough dressing to hide the catch. Im Norden anders, im Süden anders, but in Greetsiel the Krabben are the point. Das ist kein Bierzelt.

The one technique is drying the peeled Nordseekrabben before they meet the dressing. They are already cooked and delicate; if they go in wet, the salad turns loose and milky, and the lemon mayonnaise loses its clean edge. Pat them dry, fold gently, then rest the bowl cold for twenty minutes so the lemon and herbs settle around the shrimp without swallowing them.

Nicht aus dem Glas. A spoon of made mayonnaise takes one minute and tastes of egg, oil, mustard, and lemon. Dress it lightly. The shrimp should still look like shrimp.