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.

Garlic Shrimp

I loved the garlic shrimp from the shrimp trucks in Kahuku. So, I set about trying to recreate it. It's still not quite right, but here's my best effort:

1 lb large shrimp, raw, shell-on 26-30
2 tbs salt
2 tbs sugar

2 tbs butter
2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
2-3 cloves garlic (depending on how 'garlicky you like it')

Place shrimp, salt, and sugar in a large bowl and fill with enough water to cover the shrimp completely. Let brine for 20-30 minutes. Rinse lightly and drain.

Add butter and extra virgin olive oil to a large saute pan and melt at medium-high heat. As the butter begins to bubble, press the garlic directly into the saute pan and swirl until fragrant - about 20 seconds. Add shrimp immediately in a single layer allowing it to cook on one side until pink - 1-2 minutes. Turn and cook until uncooked side pink as well, another 1-2 minutes. Remove shrimp from the pan and reduce remaining juices to desired consistency - add shrimp and serve over short-grain rice.

Homemade Chili Powder

This is Alton Brown's recipe for homemade chili powder. Once you've had fresh, you'll never go back. This chili powder will keep for about six months. Shop the Mexican aisle of your local grocery store to find these ingredients.

Ingredients:

3 dried ancho chiles

3 cascabel chiles

3 arbol chiles

2 tbsp. whole cumin

2 tbsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. smoked paprika (or regular)

1 tbsp. dired oregano

Directions:

Cut the top stem off the dried chiles and dump out all the seeds. Cut up the chiles and roast them, along with the whole cumin, in a pan to release the flavors. Remove from heat.

In a blender, combine all the ingredients and blend until a powder. Store in a jar for up to six months.

Pressure Cooker Chili (Alton Brown adaptation)

A few things that really set this chili recipe apart is the pressure cooking, the homemade chili powder, and the corn chips. It's not too hot, just right. But it still may be a touch too spicy for children. This will feed four people easily with everyone getting full.

Start by making a homemade batch of chili powder.

Ingredients
3 pounds stew meat (2 pounds beef and 1 pound pork; you can also use some bacon for some of the pork)
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
12 ounces of chicken stock
1 (16-ounce) container salsa
30 tortilla chips
2 chipotle peppers canned in adobo sauce, chopped

2 tbsp. brown sugar
1 tablespoon adobo sauce (from the chipotle peppers in adobo)
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon chili powder (homemade)
1 teaspoon ground cumin

Directions
Place the meat in a large mixing bowl and toss with the vegetable oil and salt. Set aside.

Heat a 6-quart heavy-bottomed pressure cooker over high heat until hot. Add the meat in 3 or 4 batches and brown on all sides, approximately 2 minutes per batch. Once each batch is browned, place the meat in a clean large bowl.

Once all of the meat is browned, add the chicken stock to the cooker to deglaze the pot. Scrape the browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Add the meat back to the pressure cooker along with the salsa, tortilla chips, chipotle peppers, adobo sauce, tomato paste, chili powder, brown sugar, and ground cumin and stir to combine. Fisher cooking tip: Have your souz chef (Cindy) place all the secondary ingredients into little ramekins for easy dumping.

Lock the lid in place according to the manufacturer's instructions. When the steam begins to hiss out of the cooker, reduce the heat to low, just enough to maintain a very weak whistle. Cook for 25 minutes. Remove from the heat and carefully release the steam. Serve immediately.

Numbers for Next Luau and Lessons Learned

Entrees:
140 pounds of chicken
1 Gallon Soy Sauce
4 46 oz cans Pineapple Juice

3 Batches 'Ekolu Sauce include:
3 Large cans Pineapple
1 Large bag Brown Sugar
Soy Sauce to taste (from gallon)

40 pounds of sirloin
6 Bottles Kalbi Sauce

10 Costco packages of sausage
3 Bottles Chimichurri including:
5 Large Heads Garlic
5 Bunches Parsley
1 Small Bottle Olive Oil
Medium Bottle Red Wine Vinegar

100 pounds of pork
2 bottles liquid smoke
1 box kosher salt

20 pounds of potatoes
Five pounds of carrots
1 64 oz. bottle Best Foods Mayo
4-5 Lemons

10 pounds of rice (precooked weight)

Notecards w/pictures, in order on the line:

Rice: Short grain rice
Serving suggestion: Good to temper everything, I like it with Yoshida's Sauce and Potato Salad.

Kalua Pork:
Slow Roasted, Smoked Pork
Serving suggestion: Great alone, with rice, or with poi.

'Ekolu Chicken:
Teriyaki Style Chicken with Homemade Teriyaki Sauce
Serving suggestion: Great alone or with rice. Add additional homemade teriyaki sauce to taste.

Homemade Teriyaki Sauce

Kalbi Top Sirloin:
Sliced Sirloin with Korean Style Kalbi Sauce

Choripan:
Mild Italian Sausages
Argentine Style Bread

Chimichurri Sauce:
Garlic and Parsley sauce suggested for use on sausages

Chicken and Long Rice:
Soy bean thread (Long Rice)
Ginger, Tomatoes, and Chicken
Serving Suggestion: Spoon over rice with soy sauce.

Lomilomi Salmon:
Raw Salmon with Vine Ripened Tomatoes, Scallions, and Sea Salt
Serving Suggestion: Eat with poi

Poi:
Cooked, pounded, and strained taro root.
Serving suggestion: An acquired taste. Eat with pig, kalbi, and/or lomi salmon

Haupia:
Uncle Kuhia's home made coconut pudding made with coconut milk and dairy milk. Tinted haupia include additional fruit flavors.

Assorted Salads, Deserts, Fruits from the Crowd

Lessons:
Bring Plenty of Water and Soda and get something for the water hose.
Bring 2-3 tables for use in the prep area.

For prep table, bring kitchen shears, a stack of clean dry towels, a large chef's knife, large cuttingtwo sets of long tongs, a cleaver, towels with a disinfectant liquid, and used towel bins.

Considered 30-40 hot dogs for picky kids.

Additional Equipment to Acquire:
Large cooler or insulated equipment rack(s)
More extra long tongs.
Extra long tongs
Better quanity-sized spill proof sauce containers for transport and filling sauce bottles.