Dungeness Crab Cakes

Say hello to my lil friend here. He was on sale when I went shopping yesterday so I decided to bring him home and eat him! I pondered on just how to use him. Do I make my crab stuffed shrimp or fish, do I make crab cakes, should I make crab alfredo, or maybe crab louie hmmmmm. So while I thought about it I started to clean the meat out of him. Looked like I had about 2c. so I decided to make crab cakes.

DUNGENESS CRAB CAKES

Make 7-8 cakes

    * 2 large eggs
    * 2 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley
    * 2 tablespoons fresh snipped chives
    * 1 tsp. Old Bay seasoning
    * 1 teaspoon dry mustard
    * 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
    * 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
    * 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
    * Salt and pepper to taste
    * 2 c. cooked crab meat, flaked
    * 1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs, more as needed
    * Panko breads crumbs for dredging
    * Half butter and oil for frying
    * Lemon wedges

Beat the eggs in a medium-sized bowl. Add the parsley,chives, mustard, Worcestershire, mayonnaise, lemon juice, salt and pepper; mix well to combine. Gently fold in the crab meat and fresh crumbs until well combined. (The mixture will be very moist. If it is wet, add a few more fresh breadcrumbs.) Divide the mixture into 6 to 8 portions; flatten gently into thick patties. I used a half cup measuring cup to make them even. You can use a smaller one to make appetizer cakes.

Lightly coat the top and bottom of each patty with panko crumbs. If possible, refrigerate for 30 minutes before sautéing to help the cakes hold together. 

(Mine are a bit darker than i planned. I was making the salad and the coleslaw the same time I was frying these. I hate when I decide last min. whats for dinner.)

Heat a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add enough butter and oil to generously cover the bottom. Add the crab cakes, in batches if necessary, and fry until golden brown on both sides, about 4 minutes per side. Remove from the pan and drain on a baking rack set on a baking sheet. Serve immediately. I served it with my tartar sauce, coleslaw and a salad.

http://mermaidstreasures.blogspot.com/2009/06/seas-tartar-sauce.html

Daddy and the Jersey Blues

One friend online who used to have lobster feasts with his family blogged about it.  It reminded me of home in NJ and my dad.

My dad loved the Jersey blue crabs and growing up we would have summer feasts with these. Dad would buy them fresh and alive and add all sorts of spices to the boiling water we cooked them in. I remember them in the paper bags scrambling around trying to get out. Sometimes we would take one or two out and let them race. But I was always afraid of them as a kid. Those claws looked so evil and I was afraid it would bite my finger off.

Dad always seemed like such a brave guy doing battle with them. Later on as a chef, I watched the guys I work with argue over who was going to cook a few lobsters that were alive. The sissies wouldn't touch them, they were afraid! And so I mustered up my courage, remembering my dad doing battle with the crabs and grabbed that sucker and tossed him into the boiling water. The guys I worked with were stunned I did that. Here are grown men being sissies and I grabbed it and did it. But it was remembering what dad did that gave me the courage to do it. I guess at that moment I finally grew up......sort of a rite of passage.

But dad would cook several dozen of these crabs and he would clean them too. I remember it being an all day thing, cooking and cleaning and packing them up to chill. And when picnic day came, oh how we couldn't wait!

I remember sitting outside at the table, bowls of crab parts, bodies, claws, legs all for our choice of what we liked. I remember my grampa eating them too, he loved the legs and I never understood why cuz to me there was nothing in them. But he would be sucking away at the juices I guess. And we would eat and eat till we couldn't eat anymore, covered with juice, sticky fingers.

Dad is alot older now and doesn't do that much. Now he buys them from a crab shack already cooked and cleaned. But as a special treat, when I go to visit, Ill have dad order some for us. We drive to get them, then get all set up to have a feast together , just me and dad. Now we sit side by side at the counter in his kitchen. My friend who's blog I read today reminded me of this. I haven't been home in a couple yrs now and dad isn't well, mom says. I think I need to do it once I know whats going on with this house. And I need to take Dad shopping once again for the crabs for a feast. I miss that, sitting by dad, eating and talking about everything and anything. I better do it soon while hes still here.

Sometimes when QVC has a deal on the big lump crabcakes, I send dad a pkg to enjoy. Here's one way to eat them.

 Blue Crab Cake Panini

1 lb. blue lump crab meat
2 small garlic cloves
1/2 c. fresh washed basil leaves
1 egg
6 T. olive oil
1/2 c. chopped red onion
1/2 T. red wine vinegar
2 T. freshly grated parmesan cheese
3/4 c. mayonnaise
1/2 tsp. chopped fresh oregano
1/3 + 1/4 c. minced green onions
1/3 c. minced celery
1/2 c. cracker crumbs
2 T. minced parsley
1-1/2 tsp. seafood seasoning

 Sauce:
Mix garlic cloves, basil leaves, 3 T. olive oil, parmesan cheese, salt and pepper to taste and mayonnaise in a food processor and set aside.

Relish:
Toss together red onion, red wine vinegar and fresh oregano in a small bowl and set aside.

Blue Crab Cakes:
1. Heat 3 T. oil in a saute pan over medium high heat. Saute 1/3 cup minced green onions and minced celery until soft.
2. In a large bowl, mix cracker crumbs, 1/4 cup of minced green onions, egg, parsley, seafood seasoning and 1/2 tsp. salt. Add the sauteed onion and celery, then gently mix in the crab meat.
3. Form the crab mixture into eight cakes using a round mold or hands. Place the cakes, not touching, on a metal baking sheet. Broil the crab cakes under the broiler for about 4 minutes. Gently turn them over, careful not to break them, and broil on the other sides. At the end of 8 minutes, they should be nicely browned.

Assemble The Dish:
1. Heat a stovetop grill on medium heat.
2. Crown 8 semi-hard round buns by cutting off the rounded tops with a bread knife. If not already split, cut in half, lengthwise. Brush the outsides with olive oil.
3. On the inside of the top half of each bun, spread about 1 tsp. basil sauce and 1/2 T. onion relish. Place a crab cake on the inside of the bottom half of the bun.
4. Grill each sandwich for a minute or two per side, pressing down on the sandwich with an egg turner. The sandwich is done when lightly browned on each side.
5. Cut the sandwiches into two halves or quarters and serve.

CAPE COD STUFFED SHRIMP

This is a dish I love to make when I can get Dungeness crabs cheap. When I make this tho I don't bake the shrimp first , nor do I cut them in half. I buy whatever shrimp size is on sale when I want to make it and just pile them in a baking dish and top with the stuffing mix. Then I bake it all till the shrimp are pink and the stuffing is nice and hot and crusty. In fact when I can get a crab cheap Ill make a batch of this stuffing and freeze it to use on fish fillets too. Sometimes when I want this Ill use the shrimp in the stuffing when I cant get crab and top fish fillets with that. Ive also made this with the fish and made several meals. Then I wrap each stuffed fish fillet separately and freeze them for when I need them. You want to be sure neither your shrimp, crab or fish has been frozen before tho. To do this they must all start fresh. I don't stuff each shrimp as the recipe says.........who has time. Mine looks more like the picture you see here but I will tell you its delicious!

CAPE COD STUFFED SHRIMP SERVES 4

12 large shrimp, shelled
1/2 c. butter, melted
1 tsp. sherry
1/2 c, shredded cheddar cheese
Juice of 1 lemon
Pinch of garlic powder
1 tsp. onion salt
1 c. breadcrumbs
1/2 c. crab meat, flaked
1 tsp. chopped parsley
Paprika

Split shrimp lengthwise so they lie flat. Brush with melted butter. Bake on cookie sheet in 350 degree oven for 5 min. Remove from oven. Place in buttered baking dish. Make stuffing by adding to breadcrumbs the sherry, lemon juice, garlic, onion, cheddar cheese, parsley, crab meat and remaining butter. Mix stuffing lightly and pile on top of each shrimp. Top with a sprinkle of Paprika. Bake in 350 degree oven for 25-30min.

THANKSGIVING SOUPS

We have a soup before our Thanksgiving day dinner each yr. The one I usually make is called Curried Corn Soup. Many yrs ago when my children were small , a bunch of my friends and I got together to from a daytime ladies gourmet group. Once a month we would create a menu and cook it for the others. We got to try out many new recipes we might not have tried otherwise. One of my friends made this soup and it was sooooooooooo yummy! I never would have put these ingredients together and yet they blend beautifully. I love the fact that its easy to make too using canned corn. If you love creamed corn this soup is for you. It is the only time of year I make it and my kids always look for it.









CURRIED CORN SOUP Makes 8c.

2 tb. butter
2 tb. chopped shallots or green onions
2 cans (1lb. each) creamed corn
1 can (1 lb.) whole corn, drained
2 c. half and half 1/2 tsp. fresh chopped rosemary
1 tsp. curry powder

Saute shallots. Add rest of ingredients. Stir while heating thru. Watch heat , it can scorch.

I have used 4 (1lb.) cans or creamed corn too and regular milk and its still very good. I now have found I can use fat free half and half in this type of soup and it tastes just as good without the fat.

Last year I decided to try a new recipe. At first my family said "what no corn soup?" and were disappointed till they tasted this. Now they are asking are you making Crab Bisque this year? They are tough critics so I figure its really good. And this is also another one of those easy soups to make.









CRAB BISQUE Serves 8

2 tb. butter
1 tsp. onion, finely chopped ( I have found I just grate a bit)
1 tb. parsley finely chopped
1 1/2c. crab meat, chopped
2 tb. flour
2 c. chicken broth
2 c. light cream
1 pinch of cayenne pepper
Salt

In saucepan melt the butter. Add the onion and cook slowly till golden. Add the crabmeat and parsley and cook over low heat stirring constantly. (about 4min.) Add the flour, stir to blend and cook for 3min. more. Stir in the chicken broth and simmer gently for 20 min. Keep pan partially covered. Add the cream and cayenne pepper. Heat and add salt to taste.


We can get Dungeness crabs around here so if I find a sale on them I will buy a big one, clean it the day before and put the meat in the freezer till I make the soup. Ive also used the lg. king crab legs too when they are on sale. If you want to stretch it tho you could add some shrimp too.

CRABS!!!!!!! YUM!!!!!!!!!

When you walk along the wharf in San Francisco this is what you see, large pots of crabs being cooked fresh off the boats. You cant help but buy one to eat right there. My first time in SF we did that. We decided to have a lunch alfresco by the bay so we bought a large crab, a chunk of cheese and a loaf of sourdough bread. Ahhhhhhhhh there is no finer lunch to be had in SF, fresh crab, fresh bread, fresh sea air.........Ill miss this when I move. My bf tho informs me theres crabbing up in Oregon so all hope is not lost. But somehow I feel it wont be quite the same, San Francisco is like no other city in the world.


Dungeness Crab Jambalaya
(2 to 3 lb.) dungeness crab, thawed if necessary
2 slices bacon, diced
1/2 cup each chopped onion and green pepper
1 tbsp. flour
3 cups cooked rice
1 can (14-1/2 to 16 oz.) tomatoes, undrained
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp. paprika
1/8 tsp. thyme, crushed
Directions:
Lift off back shell of crab. Remove and discard viscera and gills. Rinse crab thoroughly under cool, running water. Break off legs; crack along edges. Cut legs into serving-sized pieces. Break body section into several pieces; remove meat and reserve. Cook bacon until crisp. Add onion and green pepper; cook until tender. Stir in flour; cook 1 minute. Stir in remaining ingredients except crab meat; break up tomatoes with spoon. Cook 5 minutes; stir occasionally. Stir in reserved crab meat. Arrange cracked crab legs over rice mixture. Cover and cook over medium heat about 5 minutes or until crab is thoroughly heated. Makes 4 or 5 servings.


Crab Dip
1/2 cup mayonnaise 1/2 cup sour cream 1 cup cooked crab meat 2 Tbsp minced shallots (or green onions or red onions) 1/2 teaspoon dried dill or 1 1/2 teaspoon fresh dill 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel 1 teaspoon lemon juice 1 teaspoon of white wine vinegar or 1 1/2 teaspoons of dry white wine 1/2 teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce Salt and pepper
Combine mayonnaise, sour cream, shallots, dill, lemon zest, lemon juice, white wine vinegar, and Worcestershire sauce in a bowl. Fold in the crab meat. Salt and pepper to taste. Chill for 2 hours or overnight. Serve with crackers or carrots and celery.


Quick Crab Cioppino
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion (about 1/2 lb.), peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
3 cups fat-skimmed chicken broth
1 cup dry white wine
1/3 cup tomato paste
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves or dried basil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano leaves or dried oregano
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves or dried thyme Salt and pepper
2 cooked Dungeness crabs (about 2 lb. each), cleaned and cracked
Fresh basil sprigs (optional)

1. Pour olive oil into a 5- to 6-quart pan over medium-high heat. When hot, add onion and garlic and stir often until limp, 3 to 4 minutes. Add broth, wine, tomato paste, basil, oregano, and thyme; stir often until boiling. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, to blend flavors, about 10 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.
2. Add crabs and simmer, occasionally stirring gently, until hot, about 5 minutes.
3. Ladle crabs and broth mixture into wide bowls and garnish with basil sprigs.
PREP AND COOK TIME: About 25 minutes
NOTES: Serve with thick slices of crusty bread to sop up the juices.
MAKES: 4 servings