Avocado, Endive and Poached Prawn Salad

From: Executive chef Jennifer Biesty, Scala's Bistro, San Francisco. Yield: 4 servings.

4 oz. black olive tapenade

1 oz. olive oil

Poached Prawns (yields 12 prawns):

12 prawns, butterflied (size 16/20)

¼ oz. garlic cloves, crushed (2 cloves)

1 oz. Fresno chili, cut into quarters

3 sprigs marjoram, bruised

1 ½" piece ginger, peeled, roughly chopped

1 qt. avocado oil

Meyer Lemon Vinaigrette (yields 1⅔ cup):

8 oz. extra virgin olive oil

4 oz. Meyer lemon juice

1 tsp. salt

¼ tsp. pepper

Avocado Endive Salad (yields 4 cups):

13 oz. fresh California Avocados, peeled, seeded, cut into large dice

12 oz. endive (6 heads), cut into ½" pieces

Thyme-Honey Almond Pesto (Yields 1¼ cups):

8 oz. olive oil

⅔ oz. thyme (1 bunch), finely chopped

2 oz. honey

1 garlic clove, microplaned

2 oz. almonds, roughly chopped

1 oz. lemon juice

½ tsp. salt

Mix black olive tapenade with oil to thin it to drizzling consistency. Add more oil as necessary.

For poached prawns: Season prawns with kosher salt; refrigerate until needed. Place avocado oil in shallow wide pot. Add garlic, Fresno chili, marjoram and ginger to the oil. Place oil on medium low heat and slowly bring to 180°F. Remove from heat and let steep 30 minutes to infuse flavors.

For Meyer lemon vinaigrette: Whisk all ingredients together in small bowl.

For avocado endive salad: Combine sliced endive in bowl with Meyer lemon vinaigrette. Add diced avocados and toss to combine.

For thyme-honey pesto: Pour oil into small bowl. Add chopped thyme immediately to oil to preserve color. Add remaining ingredients; stir to combine.

To assemble: Place 1 cup avocado endive salad in center of each plate. Stand 3 prawns in circle around each salad. Drizzle about ⅓ cup thyme-honey almond pesto around each salad, Drizzle about 1 oz. black olive tapenade mixture around each plate. Serve.
CALIFORNIA AVOCADO COMMISSION