  We argue that Coulomb blockade phenomena are a useful probe of the cross-over
to strong correlation in quantum dots. Through calculations at low density
using variational and diffusion quantum Monte Carlo (up to r_s ~ 55), we find
that the addition energy shows a clear progression from features associated
with shell structure to those caused by commensurability of a Wigner crystal.
This cross-over (which occurs near r_s ~ 20 for spin-polarized electrons) is,
then, a signature of interaction-driven localization. As the addition energy is
directly measurable in Coulomb blockade conductance experiments, this provides
a direct probe of localization in the low density electron gas.
