La Jolla Salad

This is a classic 1990s California composed salad named for the seaside La Jolla neighborhood north of San Diego. Mixed greens form the base, radicchio leaves get cupped and filled with crab meat, grilled shrimp pile on top, and slices of fresh papaya add tropical sweetness. It looks like a magazine cover salad and is meant to.

The vinaigrette is the work here. It’s a mustard-emulsified dressing built on an egg yolk that whisks oil into a creamy, almost-mayonnaise consistency. Red and white wine vinegars share duty, lime juice brightens, and honey balances the sharp mustard. A handful of herbs (tarragon, basil, oregano, parsley, dill) plus crushed garlic give it serious aromatic depth.

Serve the vinaigrette on the side and let people drizzle. The salad is built to look composed, and drowning it in dressing wrecks the visual.

Pro Tips

• Use only the inner radicchio leaves for the crab cups. They are smaller, more cupped, and easier to fill than the outer leaves.
• Grill the shrimp with the shell on for the juiciest result, then peel after if you want. Peeled shrimp dry out fast on the grill.
• The egg yolk in the dressing is raw. Use pasteurized eggs if you are serving immunocompromised guests, or substitute a tablespoon of mayo to mimic the emulsion safely.
• Pick a firm-ripe papaya. Overripe fruit turns mushy against the crab and looks bruised on the plate.

Variations

• Swap papaya for mango or fresh pineapple for a different tropical sweetness.
• Add toasted macadamia nuts or candied pecans for crunch.
• Use lobster instead of crab for a special-occasion upgrade.