The crab Louis' origin may be cloudy, but the salad's popularity is clear

The origin of the crab Louis is murky. Who created this seafood salad, where it was first served, even its definitive ingredients are all unknown -- and occasionally a subject of debate.

A West Coast invention variously credited to eating establishments in San Francisco and Seattle, this careful arrangement of, at minimum, crab, lettuce, hard-boiled egg and pink "Louis dressing," cropped up around the start of the 20th century to showcase the Pacific Northwest's favorite crab, the mighty, the marvelous Dungeness.

You know, "our" crab.

Now considered part of vintage American cuisine, the Louis suffered the fate of all fashionable foods during the past 100 years: inescapable for a time, nearly extinct afterwards.

Except in the Northwest.

Where Dungeness continues to reign supreme, the Louis didn't disappear. Whether augmented with bay shrimp -- preferably from Oregon -- to become a Seafood Louis, what some might consider a regional American interpretation of the French nicoise will never completely go out of style. Especially not during the summer.

It remains a classic.

Our classic.

LOUIS FAQ

Which is correct: Louis or Louie?

Pronounced LOO-ey, "Louis" nudges out "Louie" for preferred spelling in The Food Lover's Companion and other culinary sources. On menus around town, I've seen it spelled both ways.

Where and when was Crab Louis first served?

Even the best food historians can't nail this one down for certain. Most agree the Louis began appearing on menus of finer West Coast establishments between the turn of the 20th century and World War I. Credit for its creation is deadlocked between the Olympic Club in Seattle and San Francisco's Solari's restaurant or St. Francis Hotel.

Famed chef Victor Hirtzler is said to have included a recipe for the salad in "The Hotel St. Francis Cookbook," originally published in 1919.

Native Oregonian James Beard appreciated a good Louis. According to American Food author and culinary historian Evan Jones, Beard encountered "the finest Louis I have eaten" at Portland's Bohemian Restaurant, at the start of World War I.

Isn't Louis the same as Thousand Island dressing? Both dressings are pink and share similar ingredients, but the Louis is smoother, tangier and possesses more kick than its chunkier, sweeter East Coast cousin.

While there are myriad variations on both dressings, recipes for Louis typically call for mayonnaise, cream, chili sauce, green pepper, green onion, salt and lemon juice. Some recipes also add chopped green olives, horseradish or Worcestershire sauce.

Thousand Island dressing recipes also begin with mayonnaise and chili sauce, but are typically augmented with assorted chopped ingredients, such as pimiento-stuffed green olives, green peppers, sweet pickles, onions (scallions or chives) and hard-boiled egg.

Should a Louis be served dressed or undressed? Servers should be clothed at all times. But, seriously, opinions again split. Some Louis recipes call for part or all of the crab to be mixed with dressing before serving. In some local restaurants, the greens are already dressed, others routinely bring the dressing on the side. At least one restaurant, Oceanaire Seafood Room, mixes the Dungeness with dressing before serving.

Should the crab in a Louis be stringy? Should I expect any lovely medallions of claw meat? In a good Louis you should expect lump crabmeat, not "strings" of crabmeat. In a great Louis, you can expect lump crabmeat plus multiple whole claws.

Who started adding bay shrimp to the Louis salad? Good question. I don't know, but I expect it had to do with keeping the Louis an affordable menu option.

What exactly are bay shrimp, anyway? Bay shrimp are coldwater or Pandalid shrimp, aka pink shrimp, tiny shrimp, baby shrimp, salad shrimp. Those caught in the Pacific, from Alaska to Northern California, are Pandalus jordani. Pink shrimp are an important part of the Oregon fishing industry. Much of the bay shrimp paired locally with Dungeness crab to make the seafood Louie comes from Oregon.

LOUIES WE LIKE

Chandler's Crabhouse

, 901 Fairview Ave. N.; 206-223-2722. Dungeness Crab & Bay Shrimp Louis ($22.95).

Lettuce: mixed greens pretossed with balsamic vinaigrette.

Seafood: ample, fresh crab lump meat and several whole claws; firm, good-size bay shrimp.

Egg: quartered, hard-boiled egg.

Dressing: Thousand Island, on the side.

Other: asparagus spears, Roma tomatoes, jumbo ripe pitted olives, lemon wedge.

Presentation: gorgeous; see photo on D1.

Elliott's Oyster House

, Pier 56, 1201 Alaskan Way, 206-623-4340. Shrimp & Crab Louie ($19.95).

Lettuce: chopped iceberg (plus artichoke, tomato, hard-boiled egg) mixed with Louie dressing

Seafood: Dungeness lump meat, several claws, and large bay shrimp.

Egg: no egg garnish.

Dressing: house-made Louie dressing already mixed with greens.

Other: sliced avocado, marinated asparagus, tomato quarters, lemon wedges. No olives.

Presentation: Served on large leaves of romaine.

Shuckers

, Four Seasons Olympic Hotel, 411 University Ave.; 206-621-1984. Seafood Louie ($16.50), but can be ordered with crab only.

Lettuce: chopped romaine.

Seafood: generous quantity of Dungeness lump meat, claws; top-quality larger bay shrimp.

Dressing: tangy Louie dressing served on side.

Egg: sliced hard-boiled eggs.

Other: angular cucumber slices, short grilled asparagus spears, small kalamata olives.

Presentation: cupped in a bowl of radicchio leaves.

Chinook's at Salmon Bay

,1900 W. Nickerson St.; 206-283-4665. Dungeness Crab & Shrimp Louie With Louie Dressing ($17.95).

Lettuce: shredded iceberg.

Seafood: lump Dungeness crabmeat; small bay shrimp.

Dressing: smooth Louie dressing served on the side.

Egg: quartered hard-boiled egg.

Other: avocado, halved cherry tomatoes, asparagus spears, sliced cucumber. No olives.

Presentation: accented with leaves of napa cabbage.

McCormick's Fish House & Bar

, 722 Fourth Ave.; 206-682-3909. Classic Louis ($19.95).

Lettuce: shredded iceberg lettuce topped with dressing.

Seafood: Dungeness crabmeat and a mass of Oregon bay shrimp.

Dressing: Thousand Island on greens, with more on the side.

Egg: sliced hard-boiled egg nested in two halves.

Other: quartered Roma tomato, small ripe pitted olives, cucumber slices, lemon wedge.

Presentation: layered in a mound atop iceberg chiffonade.