Pairing Party Monday: Crab & Avocado Rolls

Last week we whipped up something on the wintery-side of things, but this week we've decided to bring back a taste of summer with some delicious Crab & Avocado Rolls compliments of our girl, Lisa Matthias over at "The Novice Nosher."

Crab & Avocado Rolls

Ingredients
• 1 cup white crabmeat
• 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
• 1/2 teaspoon wasabi paste
• 2 drops sesame oil
• 1 avocado
• 1/2 cup finely shredded iceberg lettuce
• Squeeze lemon juice
• 2 soft flour tortilla wrap

Directions
Put the crabmeat into a bowl and add the mayonnaise, wasabi paste and oil and stir to mix. Lay the wrap in front of you and put the crabmeat in a line horizontally 2cm/about an inch up from the bottom of the wrap. Take the avocado half still with skin and scoop out the flesh in half teaspoonful curls, laying these on top of the line of crabmeat. Sprinkle over the lettuce in a neat line also, and then spritz with the lemon juice. Roll up tightly from the bottom, to form a fat cigar and then slice on an angle into 3 pieces.

Winobee Says: While you don't always have to go for a white wine (medium bodied reds like Merlot and Pinot Noir often do the trick, too) its natural to sway toward them when pairing with fish dishes. Enter Roussanne - a white wine for the red wine drinker, and a perfect option offering both a refreshing acidity that matches well with salty foods, like crab, and a weight that can stand up to richer dishes, too. Try 2007 Zaca Mesa Roussanne, grown sustainably from the Santa Ynez Valley. It's an assertive wine that uses hand picked and whole-cluster pressed Roussanne grapes, is barrel fermented in French Oak and then aged sur lie for 10 months (which is thought to give it more complexity). The result is an intense profile of flavors and weight, but a versatility that pairs with so many different flavors.

Tasting Notes: On the nose and palate, a blend of fall fruits, like pears and figs, with an undertone of toasted nuts. Be prepared for a tangy bite at the finish, but an overall balanced wine offering a slight minerality.

Cost: $25/bottle
Where to Buy: Zaca Mesa Winery Shop