A celebration salad fit for a queen or king

(HealthDay)—When you want to create a festive celebration without a fat and calorie overload, a seafood-based salad is the perfect choice. To step up the extravagance, make it with crabmeat.

Crab is high in vitamin B12 and is a delicious, lean protein to pair with fresh greens. If you're buying pre-packaged crabmeat, check it for any bits of shell, then give it a rinse under cold running water and set it aside to drain before using. You can also buy king crab legs at your fish counter and easily pick the meat out of the shells yourself after steaming them.

Another special ingredient in this salad is low-calorie hearts of palm, the tender center of a plant typically found in Costa Rica. It gives this salad an exotic spin and a zesty flavor. You can find hearts of palm in cans or glass jars at most markets.

Both parts of this recipe can be made in advance. Drizzle on the dressing just before serving to avoid making the greens soggy.

Citrusy Crab Salad

For the salad:

• 4 cups baby spinach, rinsed and drained
• 4 hearts of palm stalks, rinsed, drained and sliced into discs
• 6 ounces crabmeat, picked over, rinsed and drained
• 1 avocado, thinly sliced

For the dressing:

• 1 navel orange
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Divide the spinach between two dinner plates. Arrange the hearts of palm, crab and avocado slices over the spinach and set aside.
To make the dressing, section the orange with a paring knife, letting the sections and their juices fall into a bowl. Next, liquefy the orange sections, olive oil, mustard, salt and black pepper with an immersion or standing blender, processing until smooth. Drizzle the dressing over the salads just before serving.

Yield: 2 servings