Catch Chef Stefanelli and 181 Palmer in the City Paper

Eat This Tonight: asparagus, blue crab, blood oranges, and Meyer lemons

by Stephanie Barna
"Spring has sprung, people, and you know what that means. No more root vegetables! Turnips and sweet potatoes are just fine, but who could stand to eat another pureed pile? Local chefs are even more thrilled at this news, and menus around town are popping with fresh fish, spring onions, and bright green asparagus. Walk into any restaurant worth its salt, and you'll find a specials board full of fresh flavors. We called around to see what chefs are excited about.

"Blue crabs and asparagus are figuring prominently in dishes at 181 Palmer, the Culinary Institute of Charleston's restaurant that serves as a training ground for students. You can't really eat this tonight, because they're only open for lunch, but you can most definitely check them out next week (they're open Mon.-Thurs.). Head Chef Scott Steffenelli is teaching his students to plate a shaved spring asparagus salad with blue crab, housemade bacon, Sea Island farm egg, and a Meyer lemon vinaigrette.
"'In a nutshell," says Steffenelli, "we shave the asparagus very thinly with a peeler. We make a vinaigrette with Meyer lemons and olive oil. The Meyer lemons give the dressing a clean citrusy and slightly sweet not acidic flavor, which pairs nicely with the crab and asparagus. For service we toss some of the raw asparagus with the vinaigrette, jumbo lump crab meat, sea salt, and some of the bacon which has been rendered crisp. We neatly pile the salad on top of housemade brioche which has been toasted. Chives are then mixed in with some vinaigrette and that's swirled around the plate for extra flavor and visual appeal. Meanwhile we cook our egg sunny side up just until the white is set and the yolk is warm but still runny. We cut the egg with a round cutter to make them look uniform and perch the egg on top of the salad. We garnish the egg with a touch of sea salt and some bacon powder and as our customers eat the salad the egg yolk emulsifies nicely with the vinaigrette and the salad for some really great springtime eating." I'll say. Sounds like a lesson in springtime deliciousness."

For More of this story: http://www.charlestoncitypaper.com/charleston/eat-this-tonight-asparagus-blue-crab-blood-oranges-and-meyer-lemons/Content?oid=3216607
Follow 181 Palmer on Twitter: http://twitter.com/181Palmer