Ripe, red tomatoes stuffed full with briny crab, lemon and basil? Yup, we love easy and delicious appetizers like this. This quick recipe fills up lots of small tomatoes – or for a yummy dinner on a hot night, stuff large tomatoes with this salad and place on a bed of crunchy baby lettuces and you have dinner.

The flavors of the crab marry well with the tomatoes, lemon and basil. If you can make this crab stuffing earlier in the day, the flavors develop and meld beautifully as it sits in the refrigerator. Make sure that only the salad goes in the fridge – tomatoes should never be stored in there! Cold makes tomatoes lose their flavor and can make them mealy. Plus, if you’ve bought your tomatoes from the grocery store, the refrigerator’s cold temperatures will stop the ripening process.

Basil adds not only flavor and beautiful bright green color to this salad but also a pop of nutrition. One of the primary medicinal uses for basil is for its anti-inflammatory properties. This effect stems from eugenol, a volatile oil in basil that blocks enzymes in the body that cause swelling, making basil an ideal treatment for people with arthritis. Both fresh basil and basil oil have strong antibacterial capabilities. In fact, basil has been shown to stop the growth of many bacteria, even some that had grown resistant to other antibiotics. Enjoy this summer dish while fueling your body with healthy foods and herbs!

Easy Crab Stuffed Tomatoes

1 LB Fresh Lump Crabmeat

3 Green Onions, thinly sliced – green parts only

2 TB Chopped Basil

1 TB Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice

2 TB Olive Oil Mayo

1/3 Cup Finely Chopped Celery

½ Tsp Fine Sea Salt

Basil, Julienned for Garnish

Sweet Pepper Rings for Garnish

14 – 18 Campari or Cherry Tomatoes

Stir together all the ingredients except the julienned basil and peppers. Stuff the mixture into the tomatoes and garnish with additional basil and pepper rings.