Crabmeat Olympia Hiawatha from the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad

Erma, when I was looking for my Death Valley Date Nut Bread recipe (it is in a pamphlet put out by a railroad group), I found a main meal salad that sounded really good. Plus, it fits our nasty hot weather perfectly. I don’t remember the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad, but it must have run through Iowa, but if Crabmeat Olympia Hiawatha is any indication, they set a fancy table.

Finding fresh crab in the Midwest was not, and still isn’t, an easy task. Gourmet that you are Erma, you would shutter at my thought for this recipe. Just use the frozen imitation crab. It’s already cooked, and with the salad seasonings in this no one but a gourmet like you would guess the substitution. Just throw in a few chips or crackers and you have a whole meal THAT DOESN’T HAVE TO BE COOKED!!

Crabmeat Olympia Hiawatha from the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad:

1 pound cooked, fresh crabmeat
1 stalk celery
1 green onion
1 stalk parsley
1 teaspoon tarragon vinegar
4 tablespoons mayonnaise
Dash curry powder
2 cups lettuce, shredded
8 large black olives
4 dill pickles, cut into fantails
4 sprigs watercress

In a food processor mince the celery, onion and parsley to a fine chop. Place the crab, celery, onion, parsley, vinegar, and mayonnaise in a bowl and mix. Sprinkle on a bit of curry powder and again mix well.

Line 4 salad plates with the shredded lettuce. Use an ice cream scoop to make a nice mound on the lettuce. Add olives, dill pickles and watercress for decoration.

Makes 4 large salads.