While which genius chef actually created the Crab Louis (aka Louie) Salad is debatable, it definitely originated on the West Coast, and it's been a restaurant classic for over one hundred years now. We keep our version (served at Nordstrom Grill locations) pretty traditional with a generous amount of succulent crabmeat, tangy Louis Dressing and hard-boiled eggs-but throw in a helping of crispy fried shrimp, because, crispy fried shrimp. Top it all with height-of-their-season tomatoes and a flavor-brightening squeeze of lemon, and you have a perfect summer dinner in this seafood lover's salad.

Shrimp and Crab Louis Salad
From our Nordstrom Grill
(serves 6)

Louis Dressing
1 cup mayonnaise
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice, freshly squeezed
1 1/2 teaspoons finely minced red onion
1/2 cup chili sauce
1 small clove garlic, finely minced
1 1/2 teaspoons finely minced Italian parsley
1 1/2 teaspoons finely minced celery
1 tablespoon finely minced cornichon
1/4 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
1 1/4 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon kosher salt

Add all ingredients to a large mixing bowl. Mix with a stiff wire whisk until well combined. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Ale-Battered Shrimp
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 cup water
1 cup amber ale
1 teaspoon malt vinegar
2 teaspoons butter, melted
16 extra-large (16/20 count) shrimp, preferably wild-caught, peeled and deveined
Canola oil for frying
All-purpose flour for dredging
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

1. In a medium bowl, add flour, baking powder, salt, pepper, garlic powder and cayenne pepper. Mix to combine. Add water, ale, vinegar and butter. Whisk thoroughly until no lumps remain. Place ale batter in refrigerator to cool and thicken slightly, about an hour.
2. Pour enough canola oil into a large, deep saucepan to reach 3 inches up the sides, then heat to 350°F on a deep-frying thermometer.
3. When ready to fry, pour flour to fully cover the bottom of a flat dish and dredge shrimp in the flour, coating all sides. With a pair of tongs, transfer each to the ale batter and then into heated oil. Fry battered shrimp in batches, without crowding, until evenly golden-brown and shiny, about 2 to 3 minutes.
4. Transfer fried shrimp to a wire rack and, while still hot, season with salt and pepper.

Salad Ingredients and Assembly
Fried shrimp
9 ounces (1 generous cup) Louis Dressing
1 pound mixed baby salad greens
12 ounces jumbo lump crabmeat, preferably Dungeness
6 hard-boiled eggs, diced 1/2 inch
5 Roma tomatoes, quartered lengthwise
1 lemon, cut lengthwise into 6 wedges

1. Add Louis Dressing to a large mixing bowl. Add the greens and season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Toss greens with tongs to coat evenly.
2. Divide dressed greens among 6 chilled salad bowls, piling in a crisscross pattern to build height in the center. Dividing each evenly, add egg then crabmeat to the center of the salads.
3. Place 4 shrimp onto each salad. Nestle 3 tomato wedges and 1 lemon wedge between the shrimp. Serve immediately.

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-Jeff Powell (photos and intro)