Happy New Year Everyone!!  We had such big plans for some brand new recipes to share this week, but unfortunately the flu bug decided to arrive on Christmas Day instead of Santa, and it was a doozy.  Never fear – those recipes will keep until later, but in the meantime, I present to you my very first blog posting, cooked and photographed New Year’s Eve 2014.  I present to you:  The Crab Cake – only slightly edited from the first version.  Hope you enjoy!!

Here we are in the Pacific Northwest, home of the Dungeness Crab – one of nature’s most perfect foods in my opinion. While many Dungeness devotees prefer to dine straight from the shell, I do not have sufficient patience for that endeavor. Instead, I’ve whipped up a few crab cakes.

We’ll begin at the beginning: with the crab. Introducing one pound of shelled Oregon Dungeness Crab. Add some thinly sliced green onion….

For color and richness, a couple of roasted red peppers get chopped..

 And added to the mix…

At this point we need some pizazz, so enter diced capers…

We need some stuff to bind this all together. We’ll start with an egg…

Not quite there yet, so we’ll add our secret sauce: 50/50 real mayonnaise and low-fat sour cream.  Now we have a good proper mess…

We’ll require some panko breadcrumbs to get it just right.

We form it into ½ cup crab cakes and let it rest in the refrigerator to set up. Then on to the griddle they go!

Chow, baby.

Photos courtesy of Dave Jones, producer of “Queens of the Roleo” film documentary.  Thanks Dave! 

CRAB CAKES

Roberta Reynolds

Love these! This recipe makes about 12 crab cakes, and in my experience four adults easily polished them off. However, I eat like a horse and so do my friends, so this may not be a completely accurate assessment of portions. Tons of crab, and just enough other ingredients to bind it all together and provide some color and texture. Makes me think about a day at the beach…

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 7 minutes mins

Total Time 27 minutes mins

Servings 12

Ingredients

  

• 1 pound Dungeness Crab meat
• 2 roasted red peppers seeded and finely chopped
• ½ cup green onion thinly sliced
• ¼ cup capers finely chopped
• 1 egg
• ½ cup mayonnaise
• ½ cup low fat sour cream
• ½-3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

 

• Place crabmeat in a large bowl. Add red pepper, green onion, and capers. Mix lightly.
• In a separate small bowl, stir together mayonnaise and low fat sour cream.
• Add egg and mayonnaise/sour cream to crab mixture. Stir lightly until just mixed.
• Add ½ cup panko breadcrumbs. Stir lightly until mixture comes together. Add additional panko if your mixture seems too loose to form a crab cake.
• To form the crab cakes:
• Line a cookie sheet with wax paper or parchment paper.
• Using a ½ cup ice cream scoop (If you have one. If not, use a ½ cup-measuring cup.), portion out approximately 12 crab cakes on the cookie sheet. Press down lightly to form a flattened crab cake, about ¾ inch thick. Cover crab cakes lightly with plastic wrap, and let set up in the refrigerator for about half an hour.
• When ready to cook:
• Add about 2 teaspoons butter and 1-teaspoon olive oil to a nonstick skillet. Preheat skillet over medium heat until butter starts to bubble.
• Gently place as many crab cakes in the skillet as you can fit without crowding. Fry on one side for about 3 minutes, or until golden brown (yes, you can peek). When golden brown on one side, gently flip over and finish cooking until second side is brown.
• Serve immediately or cover and place in a warm oven until ready to serve. Try not to let them sit too long though – not much more than 15 minutes.

Notes

HORSING AROUND/MAKE IT YOURS

Especially during summer when corn is fresh, you might want to consider stirring in ½ cup or more of corn cut fresh from the cob. During winter months, frozen corn will work just fine.

These are really good on their own, but a dollop of tarter sauce adds a nice creamy element.

These can be served with just about anything, but you might think about: oven baked French fries, roasted purple potatoes, herbed rice, or get all out there and into the garden vibe and place a couple of crab cakes per serving on top of a plate full of mixed greens for a composed salad. A slice of nice bread or better yet, corn bread on the side and there you go.

HOW WOULD YOU MAKE IT YOURS?