Seriously flavorful seafood salad

If a trip to the beach (or just a desire for one) has you thinking about seafood, try this simple and intense seafood salad.

The trick for making this more than just a glop of seafood and mayonnaise is to combine plenty of contrasting flavors and textures. The dressing, for example, blends creamy mayonnaise, spicy whole grain mustard and a splash of hot sauce.

The soft seafood " a blend of shrimp, crab and imitation lobster " is paired with crunchy celery, red bell pepper, jicama and a sweetly tart green apple.

While real lobster would be a tastier choice in this salad, it can be pricey and inconvenient to cook and shell. If you have the time and money, go for it. Otherwise, the imitation version is an affordable and easy alternative that does fine in a salad.

White hot dog and hamburger buns are the only way to go when serving this salad. And for best taste they need to be toasted, ideally on a grill or in a skillet of melted butter.

This salad is easily prepared ahead of time for serving at the beach or on a picnic. Pair it with a bottle of crisp, white wine. The acidity complements and cuts through the dressing.

SUMMERY SEAFOOD SALAD

AND BUTTER-TOASTED BUNS

Start to finish: 20 minutes

Servings: 12

1⁄4 cup mayonnaise

1 tablespoon whole-grain mustard

1⁄2 teaspoon garlic powder

Pinch celery seeds

Black pepper, to taste

Hot sauce, to taste

2 ribs celery, finely chopped

1 red bell pepper, cored and finely chopped

1⁄2 jicama, peeled and finely chopped (about 2 cups)

1 medium green apple, peeled and diced

1 pound cooked shrimp, peeled and roughly chopped

1 pound crab meat, picked over for shells

1-pound package imitation lobster meat, roughly chopped or pulled apart

2 tablespoons butter

12 hamburger or hot dog buns

In a large bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, mustard, garlic powder, celery seeds and pepper. Add hot sauce, mix well, then taste and adjust pepper and hot sauce as desired.

Add the celery, red pepper, jicama and apple, then toss well to coat. Add the shrimp, crab meat and imitation lobster meat. Toss until just coated. Set aside.

In a large skillet over medium-low, melt the butter. Add the buns (split open if hamburger, on their sides if hot dog) and toast until lightly browned and crispy. Serve the salad in the buns.

Nutrition information per serving (values are rounded to the nearest whole number): 288 calories; 63 calories from fat; 7 g fat (2 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 117 mg cholesterol; 28 g carbohydrate; 28 g protein; 3 g fiber; 499 mg sodium.

- J.M. Hirsch can be e-mailed at jhirsch@ap.org.