Rose Winter

A straightforward composed salad of the sort that filled the salad chapter of every early twentieth-century cookbook. Two details in the wording carry the whole thing: the crab must stay in recognizable lumps, and each element is chopped on its own.

• A pint of crab meatMeasured by volume, not weight: about 1 lb of picked meat, loosely packed. Lump or backfin from a tub in the seafood case is the closest modern equivalent; pasteurized claw meat works but is stringier and darker.
• "Chop the whole into small pieces separately"This means each element is cut on its own before combining, so nothing gets crushed: dice the celery, egg and tomato individually to an even size. The wording appears to include the crab as well, though picking it over for shell and cartilage and folding it in in larger pieces keeps more texture.
• Seed the tomatoAn uncored, unseeded tomato will weep and thin the dressing within minutes. Halve it, scoop the seeds and gel, and dice only the flesh.
• Vinegar quantityThe original gives none. A teaspoon or two of cider or white wine vinegar is enough to sharpen a pint of crab; much more will firm the meat and blunt its sweetness.
• Mayonnaise, then more mayonnaiseOne tablespoon binds the salad; the second coat spread over the top is a masking layer, the period habit of finishing a salad with a smooth white surface. If you are using commercial mayonnaise, thin the top coat with a little of the vinegar so it spreads without dragging.
• CapersRinse and drain brined capers before scattering them, or the salad turns salty as it sits. Salt the mixture lightly at first for the same reason.
• Serve cold, and soonChill the crab and the chopped vegetables separately, then combine within an hour of serving. Dressed crab salad held overnight goes watery and loses its sweetness.
• YieldServes four as a first course, or two as a lunch dish on lettuce.