Corn, Tomato and Crab Salad

So my oven was taken away from me for the two weeks after memorial day. During that time, I had to rack my brain for no-cook recipes. If I am going to do no-cook recipes and rely primarily on the bold flavors of raw foods, it only makes sense to go with fruits and veggies that just scream "summer is here!" That led me to this tomato and corn and crab salad. It was so hard to find good lump crab in KY that I had to go with imitation, which greatly displeased me, but I am a bit picky when it comes to seafood (I grew up in Florida, after all).

I think that this dish would be awesome with shrimp (no shells, no tails), if you cannot find real lump crabmeat.

Also, I must admit, I was feeling lazy and there is a Red Lobster just up the street from me (literally, it is on the same street as my house). Their cheddar biscuits are 6 for $1.99! I couldn't say no. They go sooo well with this dish. The addition of the biscuits is so worth it, but if you are feeling ambitious, you can always make your own using the food network's almost famous recipe.

Corn, Tomato, and Crab Salad

Adapted from Southern Living

1 tablespoon grated lemon rind

5 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, divided1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon honey
½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
¼ teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 cups fresh corn kernels (about 4 ears)
¼ cup thinly sliced basil leaves
1 chopped red bell pepper
2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion
½ pound lump crabmeat, shell pieces removed, cooked
4 ripe beefsteak tomatoes, sliced into eights or tenths
2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
½ cup shredded Parmesan

Combine rind, 3 tablespoons juice, and next 5 ingredients (through black pepper) in a large bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Reserve 1 ½ tablespoons juice mixture. Add remaining 2 tablespoons juice, corn, and next 4 ingredients (through crab) to remaining juice mixture; toss gently to coat.

Arrange slices of beefsteak tomatoes and ½ cup cherry tomatoes on each of 4 plates. Drizzle about 1 teaspoon reserved juice mixture over each serving. Top each serving with ¼ of corn and crab mixture. Sprinkle each plate with 2 tablespoons of parmesan.

Suggestion: replace crab with 1lb of chopped shrimp and/or serve with cheddar biscuits