Once Upon a Plate: Seafood ~ Crab

Showing posts with label Seafood ~ Crab. Show all posts

Wednesday

The Best Crab Cakes you may ever eat!

Happy New Year everyone ~ I'm wishing you all the best in 2013!

Did you celebrate away, or at home?
We never go out on New Year's Eve, preferring instead to celebrate at home, cozily in front of the fireplace... with a light dinner and a glass of bubbly. :)

From the images, I bet you can almost guess what celebratory dinner was served at my house on the last day of 2012.
Correct!!
CRAB CAKES...

Chef Robert Irvine's fabulous Crab Cakes. His simple recipe is my favorite. No veggies to stretch the crab or mask the flavor of the good, pure crab chunks, and very little binder. And they are a fabulous party food when formed into bite-sized portions.
Besides the crab, the list of ingredients is short:
Old Bay Seasoning, a little mayonnaise, Some Panko crumbs (only a quarter of a cup) white pepper fresh ginger juice (or ground ginger) tabasco 1 egg flour for dusting the cakes grape seed oil for shallow frying
Optional: Juice of 1 lemon to squeeze over the finished crab cakes.
Beware if you do a search on the Food Network site for his crab cake recipe, there are two listed and one of them is incorrect. (It instructs to mix the grape seed oil into the mix of crab and seasonings.)
no, no, no!
This is the correct recipe.

You can use any crab that you prefer, but my favorite is...

Dungeness, our meaty, local & fresh Pacific Crab.

Time I served them with lemon wedges and the following simple sauce: (It's not heavy at all so it doesn't compete with the richness of the crab meat.)

You can serve them plain without a sauce, but I love to contrast the delicately crisp crust of the cakes with something saucy. So I made up this accompaniment on the fly:
It's simply roasted sweet red peppers from the jar pulsed in the food processor with a touch of vinegar (I used Sherry vinegar, but any favorite vinegar will do), a splash of grape seed oil or olive oil, some sea salt, a pinch of sugar, and a couple of shakes of hot sauce (Tabasco® is what I used.) All whirled in my small food processor until completely smooth; adjust seasonings to your taste, if the sauce is too thick add a few drops of water and continue processing.
I also had some homemade fish taco sauce* left over in a squeeze bottle, so I gave the cakes a finishing touch of that, yum!
*Fish taco sauce: Whisk equal parts mayonnaise (Best Foods/ Hellmann's) and plain, unflavored yogurt (Greek-style works really well in this sauce.)

And finally a sparse shower of sliced scallion tops.

The next time you make crab cakes, I hope you'll give Chef Irvine's recipe a try. I don't think you'll be disappointed.
Thanks for stopping by today, friends!

Blessings ~ Mari xo

Sunday

Two Natural Pacific Northwest Treasures ~

Ann Thibeault Signature, hand-crafted Vancouver Island Big Leaf Maple serving and cutting boards, and Dungeness Crab.

Both are valued treasures of the Pacific Northwest.

The Dungeness crabs are common on the west coast and fairly easy to come by during crab season here.

However, the unique boards ~ each made with one single piece of hardwood Vancouver Island Big Leaf Maple are one-of-a-kind, and not common.

<<<<->>>>

My friend Ann authors one of my favorite blogs, Thibeault's Table. She and her husband Moe, are a very talented couple who reside in British Columbia, Canada.

Besides being an extraordinary cook, baker and photographer, she and her husband also handcraft beautiful one-of-a-kind Vancouver Big Leaf Maple boards. The sandwich boards above, are just one example of their fine work.

Along with sandwich boards, they also offer Baguette Boards, Cheese Boards, Presentation Boards as well as Butcher Blocks.

You must see them in the Gallery ~ And keep in mind, as lovely as the photos are, the boards are even more impressive in person.

These are no ordinary mass-produced boards; each one is skillfully finished, allowing the beautiful natural wood grain to reveal itself. These are not boards you will hide in a cabinet or cupboard ~ they are works of art!

The pieces are available at the finest gift, kitchenware and cookware shops in Vancouver, British Columbia. And recently The Wickaninnish Inn and Spa, (the world-class Tofino resort) decided to include one of Ann Thibeault's signature cheese boards in each of the gift baskets given to their holiday guests.

What lucky guests! ~ And what an honour for the Thibeault's, I'm sure.

The good news is, even if you can't get to Vancouver, BC immediately, you can purchase their boards via the web. Click below to browse the abundant selection at their on-line Gallery.

Learn more about the

'Ann Thibeault Signature Cutting and Serving Board Collection' at:

The Maple Cutting Board Gallery.

The boards can be shipped to Canada and to the U.S. as well.

If you are outside of these areas please inquire through the Gallery email (on the site), to see if other options are available.

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Dungeness Crab (pronounced: DUN-ge-NESS)

Metacarcinus magister (formerly Cancer magister) named after a small town and the shallow bay inside of DungenessSpit on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State. Dungeness crabs are harvested along other parts of the west coast as well.
As far a sustainability, SEAFOOD WATCH, has given Dungeness Crab a rating of "Best Choice".

Usually we enjoy our Dungeness as shown above (after being cleaned of the inedible parts*), then after being cracked everyone picks the crab meat themselves, (aka~ a "Crab Feed"). But there are so many other ways of serving this delectable crustacean . . . as crab cakes, in seafood crepes, seafood omelets, quiche, as a substitute for Canadian Bacon in Eggs Benedict, or a Crab Louis, etc.
This is yet one more way ~ a simple but very tasty sandwich.

A (now long gone), small local restaurant chain in my hometown of Palo Alto, California would serve these beauties up every Friday during Dungeness Crab season in the SF Bay area. A sublime treat!
After many years, the little chain sold a couple of their restaurants and several years later, eventually closed their doors for good. BAH!
What were we to do?!

Well, make our own at home, of course. You don't need a "recipe" ~ here's how you do it~
All it takes is a good quality French Roll, split lengthwise. I used a baguette this time... Preheat the oven to 350*F.
In a bowl mix the crabmeat with a generous amount of GOOD quality (non-sweet) mayonnaise; Best Foods/Hellmann's for example. A little squeeze of lemon and a few shakes of traditional Red Tabasco (TM) sauce. Mix that up and slather on the bread, being as generous with the crab meat mix as you like.
Place the sandwich halves on a shallow baking sheet (helps with clean-up if you line with parchment, or foil) Sprinkle generously with grated cheddar cheese. Place in the oven until the crab is hot, and the cheese is melted and bubbly. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with a little Cayenne pepper before serving ~ and offer more Tabasco (TM)Be careful! They will be uber HOT right from the oven.
Note: I like the rolls a little crispy, so I place them in the oven for a few minutes after splitting them (before the crab goes on them), then continue the recipe from that point.
Tip: To serve as 'two-bite' size appetizers ~ cut the baguette into 1/4 to 1/2-inch slices (vertically), toast under the broiler on one side. Then spread the crab mix on the un-toasted side, place pieces on a shallow baking pan and continue with the recipe. It will only take a couple of moments for them to be hot and bubbly.
*You can easily clean the crabs yourself, or ask your fish monger or fish-counter person to do it for you, usually this is a complimentary service.

Thanks for stopping by today, and thank you for any thoughts you'd like to share.

Tuesday

Cheater's Crab or Smoked Salmon Rangoon

Crab (or Smoked Salmon) Rangoon are warm, tempting little nibbles ~ crispy won ton wrappers encase a cream cheese & crabmeat filling, laced with flecks of minced green onion (scallion), and other seasonings. But a warning ~ if you like them you'll find them highly addictive!

Actually the only thing about this method of making Crab Rangoon which makes it a "Cheater's" version is the method in which the won ton wrappers are folded.

Above you can see something like the traditional way of forming filled won tons. However, as is evident, I usually put more filling in mine than recipes usually call for ~ not so traditional. :)

1/2 teaspoon of the cream cheese-seafood mixture is the generally recommended amount of filling for each, that way the creamy filling is less likely to ooze out while cooking ... I push the limit.

I call the ones formed as shown above as the "Cheater's" version, because it is a little faster to form the delectable morsels this way. Just put the filling in the middle, seal the edges with 'finger-paint skid' of water, fold the won ton wrapper in half to make a triangle and press edges to seal.

The version shaped in the traditional way ~ like the ones above are best deep fried...

Whereas the triangular version may be shallow fried.

Let's face it, fried is FRIED, so it isn't a healthier version, but it is more economical because shallow frying requires less oil.

And there is more surface area to turn delicately crispy!

The recipe is credited to "Trader Vic" (Victor Jules "Trader Vic" Bergeron, Jr.)

Over the years I have collected several of his old books from the secondary market ~ although some seem dated, they are quite entertaining, and I look forward to sharing a few more of his recipes in the future.

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A little more about Trader Vic (bio credited to countedx58)

Victor Jules "Trader Vic" Bergeron, Jr

	Birthdate: December 10, 1902, Death: October 11, 1984

"Businessman. He founded the Trader Vic's chain of Polynesian restaurants. At the height of "Tiki" popularity, Trader Vic's had more than two dozen locations around the world. The chain still survives today. Bergeron became acquainted with the food business as a child, when his father was a waiter at San Francisco's famed Fairmont Hotel and also ran a grocery store in Oakland. The family both lived above and worked in the store. At the age of 30, he opened a pub, originally called Hinky Dink's, across the street that served cocktails and Polynesian food. The name was later changed to Trader Vic's. Vital to any restaurant in the San Francisco Bay Area at that time was getting a good review from San Francisco Chronicle columnist Herb Caen. In 1936, an item in Caen's column said of Trader Vic's that the "best restaurant in San Francisco is in Oakland." He and his competitor, "Don the Beachcomber," both claimed to have invented the Mai Tai cocktail. Adept at storytelling, Bergeron also published several books of both recipes and fiction." *~~~~~~~* If you would like a printable copy of the recipe, please click HERE to visit the Once Upon a Plate Recipe blog. Thank you for stopping by today !! xo ~m

Saturday

Darling Bakers and Tablescape Thursday ~ Beach Party!

Hello my friend ~ Thank you for coming to

Click here to go to Susan's wonderful Blog

"Between Naps on the Porch"

for links to other to other participant's blogs.

AND

Beach Party!

The weather today in Oregon isn't quite conducive for a party at the beach, so we'll have this party at my house instead. Please make yourself at home and let the party begin. My party is all about the food, so I hope you brought your appetite.

Please come on in to the dining room ~ we've been looking forward to seeing you!

Here's your place at the table~

Go ahead and take a look at the menu while I get the soup.

I understand you like seafood as much as I do. That's great, because that's what I'm serving today.

I try to prepare food grown or produced in Oregon whenever possible. The salmon and crab are from the beautiful Pacific Ocean, right off of the Oregon coast. The dairy products and wine are from Oregon, too.

Although we couldn't get to the beach, I pulled some things together to help us imagine we're at the coast.

Please just visualize that the view out of the big dining room window is actually the ocean, and not the pitiful winter rose garden and a bunch of towering Douglas Fir trees.

I knew you'd like to sit across from my great-grandmother, Angelique.

She's my father's grandmother ~ from Marseille, she moved to San Francisco from France before I was born.

Although she speaks very little English, I know you'll like her she's sweet, good natured and very friendly.

Please make yourself at home and take a look around, I'll be right back with the food for our party.

Some pretty sea shells, a few from French beaches (Merci pour les petits trésors Grand-Mère!), but most were gathered in Mexico.

I set this Fish platter from Portugal on the old cement pediment shelf for today, I always switch accessories around throughout the year, do you do that in your home, too?

The platter was a steal, from either TJ Maxx or Ross if I remember correctly ~ under $10. I love finding bargains like that. I'll share more about the pediment shelf in an upcoming blog entry.

Oh, you like the crab napkin rings? Thank you!

Yes, they are Arthur Court Designs, as are the little Salt and Pepper Shakers ~

I have a small collection of them, perhaps I can share them with you at another time, if you'd like.

I'm always up for a bargain, and was able to find a gift ware company online which offers them for a few dollars less than anyplace else I've found. I'll try to remember the name, in case you're interested. :)

Well, silly me ~ doing all of this talking! The soup is on!

Here you go~

I make it just like you would a tomato-based Manhattan-style clam chowder, except I use diced smoked salmon (the firm kind, sold in the form of small filets) in place of the clams and I add more vegetables.

Oh, thank you! I'm so happy you liked the chowder.

Let me go get the next course, I'll be right back...

You know, artichokes have been one of my favorite vegetables since I was a little girl. I just love them, and wanted to make sure I included them on the menu today.

The sauce? Oh, it's a simple one ~ maybe you've made something similar? It's just Best Foods/Hellmans mayo, a little tomato ketchup, Worchestershire sauce (and optional a little fresh lemon juice, and garlic powder.)

If I'm having a small party, like today ~ I like to serve it in this little crabby-condiment dish. Yes, it's Fitz & Floyd, it was a gift from a dear friend who has a home on the coast. Seems to me that was about 10 years ago, the company may still make them ~ I'm not sure. If you like it, you might check ebay.

Okay ~ the Crab sandwiches are piping hot and ready!

This is an old and simple recipe, one of my favorites.

It brings back happy memories for me.

You see, my mother and I would often have a "girlie" day on Fridays, shopping, visiting art galleries, museums, etc. and the day always included lunch out.

In crab season, a favorite restaurant of ours would serve hot crab sandwiches like these ~ we would make it a point to have them once or twice while they were available.

At the restaurant they would serve the sandwiches with potato salad. I made sea shell pasta salad with a very light dill dressing instead, with crisp-tender broccoli, minced red onion and capers.

And when you make them at home you can pile the crab on as high as you like! I always sprinkle a little cayenne on to finish, or in this case a bit of Basque or as arrière-grand-mère would say:

"une pincée de piment d' Esplelette"!

I usually don't garnish them with a shrimp on top, but hey ~ This is a PARTY! :)

I love how food can evoke special memories of special people, places and times.

Are you ready for some salad? I know it seems unusual to some to serve the salad at the end of the meal but that is the French influence, from that side of the family and that is how we always served it while I was growing up, and most of the time I still do.

I thought a light Oregano and whole mustard seed vinaigrette would be nice with the marinated Greek olives, and Pink Peppercorn Feta cheese cubes.

Normally in winter I skip the fresh tomatoes, but I am so pleased with the smallish tomatoes "on-the-vine" available in the grocery stores these days.

And Great Grandmother agrees, so that makes me happy!

Ahhh... are you feeling a little full? Would you like to take a little stroll through the back garden while I whip the cream for dessert?

Please go right ahead.

Just follow any of the pathways and you won't get lost.

Unfortunately the garden isn't at it's peak right now, but some of the early bulbs are blooming, and you can see the buds have swelled on all of the Rhodies and Azaleas, they'll be in full bloom around Mother's Day.

So you'll have to use your imagination, and then come back in a couple of months to see it in full bloom.

You might just like wandering under the canopy of those huge fir and pine trees ~ but you won't want to wander too far, the forest is thick and untamed at the back of the property.

I call it my enchanted forest.

I'll strike the rooster bell on the back porch when dessert is ready, okay?

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