Rouxbe

• 2 yellow bell peppers

Preheat the oven to 425ºF.

Roast the peppers in the oven until golden brown and blistered, about 30 miinutes. If you want to cut down your time in the kitchen, move onto another step until the peppers are ready.

Once the peppers are ready, remove from the oven. Immediately place them in a bowl, and cover tightly with plastic wrap. This creates steam, which will make them easier to peel.

Allow them to sit, covered for at least 10 to 15 minutes.

• 3 sprigs fresh dill
• 1/4 cup buttermilk
• 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 3 bunches fresh chives

Finely chop the dill.

Add the dill and all of the other ingredients to the sour cream and mix together. The consistency of the dressing should be quite thick.

Finely dice one bunch of the chives and set aside for the crab mix.

• 1 cup chopped parsley
• 1 1/2 cups olive oil
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper

Note: This will make more chive oil than you need but this volume is required for most blenders to be able to blend the mixture. However, the left-over chive oil can be used in any other salad dressings as an alternative to straight oil and will keep in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. You may be pleasantly surprised by the delicious results.
Coarsely chop the remaining chives and the parsley.
Place the coarsely chopped herbs into a blender along with the olive oil, salt and pepper. Blend until you get a nice bright green color. This should take about a minute. Strain into a bowl. If it seems too thick, add a bit more oil.

• 4 oz fresh baby shrimp
• 4 oz fresh crab meat

Give the shrimp a rough chop, setting aside a few nice pieces for garnish.

Roughly chop the crab meat, again setting aside a few nice pieces for garnish. Add the reserved chives and a few tablespoons of dill dressing to the crab meat and mix together.

• 1 tbsp sun-dried tomato
• 2 whole ripe avocados
• 1 tbsp fresh lime juice

Once the peppers are cool enough to handle, remove the skin and seeds, then finely dice them.

Drain and chop the sun-dried tomatoes.

The last step before assembly is to dice the avocados. Cut the avocados in half. Remove the stone and scoop out the flesh.

Dice the avocados then add the lime juice. Add the salt and pepper and mix gently, making sure the avocados retain their texture.

This recipe requires a plastic mold and plunger. If you don't have one you can use a small can (156ml) for the mold and a small bottle for the plunger.

Start by placing the mold onto an individual serving plate.

There are only a few things to keep in mind when assembling the seafood tower:

1- You will need a solid base, so start with the yellow peppers.
2- To make a stable tower, you have to pack down each layer with the plunger.
3- Rinse the plunger between each layer.
4- Only use about a tablespoon for each layer. Alternate layers for color and texture.

Removing the mold requires a delicate hand. As you pull up on the mold, apply a light downward pressure with the plunger.

Finish the plate with a drizzle of the chive oil and a little of the dill dressing.

Related Drill-downs

• Mold and Plunger