Crab-Stuffed Creole Tomatoes

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried tarragon
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
5 - 7 ounces fresh Louisiana crab meat
5 - 6 steamed asparagus cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
1/2 cup cooked peas
8 large Creole tomatoes
Washed lettuce and parsley for garnish

In a mixing bowl, toss together the crab meat, asparagus, eggs, peas, olive oil, salt, pepper, tarragon, mayonnaise, and lemon juice. Blend lightly, then refrigerate to chill. Cut a thin slice from the top of each tomato and hollow out the center, leaving a firm shell to hold the salad filling. You can save the tomato pulp for another recipe. Sprinkle the insides of the tomatoes with a dash of salt, then turn them upside down on paper towels to drain. Refrigerate the tomatoes until serving time. When you're ready for the salad, simply fill each tomato shell with about a half-cup of the crab mixture. Set each tomato on a few lettuce leaves and add a sprig of fresh parsley for garnish.