Sunday, January 18, 2009

Dungeness Crab Cakes

Yesterday I picked up a fresh (never frozen) dungeness crab from Albertson's. Today, I decided to make crab cakes. Cindy loved them, as did the kids, so I decided to write down what I did for future reference.

1 Whole, Fresh Dungeness Crab, lumped and picked
1/3-1/2 Cup Mayonnaise
3 Green Onions, Finely Chopped
1T chopped fresh parsley
1/3-1/2 Cup Breadcrumbs

Sprinkle of Old Bay
Limes (or lemons)

Degill and clean the crab to remove the yellowish debris. Lump the crab and pick through, careful not to break the crab too much. Set aside in a bowl.

In a separate bowl, mix mayonnaise, green onions, and parsley until well mixed. Stir in breadcrumbs until the mixture is a thick paste. Carefully combine the paste with the crab. (I folded them together with my hands). Form 5-6 small crab cakes from the mixture (per crab).

On a flat surface, sprinkle bread crumbs and Old Bay. Lightly press crab cakes into breadcrumb/Old Bay mixture. Let stand a few minutes.

After the cakes are formed, in a large saute pan heat 2T of butter in a saute pan over medium-high to high heat until butter bubbles and just starts to brown. Cook until browned, about 40 seconds to 1 min per side. Serve with limes (or lemons immediately)

Spicy Garlic Shrimp

Follow the garlic shrimp recipe below, adding 2T (or more, to taste) of Olek Sambal chili paste at the end.

Buttermilk Syrup

Caution: Use a 4-1/2 quart pan (or larger). If pan is too small, it will boil over and make a big mess! This is similar to what is served at Magleby's. Serve on pancakes, french toast or waffles - or boil a little longer and use it as an ice cream topping!

2 cups sugar
3 Tbsp. Karo syrup
1 cube butter
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 cup buttermilk
2 tsp. vanilla

Mix first five ingredients in a large pan. Bring to a rolling boil for 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Add vanilla. Pour into your favorite syrup pitcher.