CRAB CAKES WITH A BIT OF NM

 

Comment : It always bothered me that traditional seafood dishes from the coast(s) had little of the intense flavor New Mexican Chile(s) can provide. A few years back I started to incorporate and experiment with adding them to virtually all my traditional seafood recipes. Here is my adaptation from an old, olde Maryland Crab Cake recipes. I make these either as 'half dollar' cakes for an appetizer or '2 inchers' for a main course. Either way they are terrific.

 

These crab cakes are best if prepared 90 minutes before cooking.
While there are a number of ingredients in this recipe the preparation time is brief: 30 minutes at most. Add an hour for the crab cakes to cool and ten to cook them: 1:40 from beginning to end. We often serve these as appetizers to guests who drop in 'unexpectedly'. They are great with the roasted bell peppers mentioned following the recipe.

 

Serves four (4) or makes 12 - 14 appetizers

 

mise en place
1 16 oz can pasteurized Maryland or Thai blue crab meat, picked over.
1/4 red bell pepper very finely minced (bournoise)
1/4 green bell pepper very finely minced
4 oz Cervantes Green Chile Sauce
2 green onions, finely sliced, white part only
1/2 tsp granulated garlic (dried)
*1 egg
1/4 - 1/3 cup mayonnaise or you may substitute plain yogurt, if you like a sharper flavor.
1/4 - 1/3 cup buttermilk.
1/2 - cup fresh bread crumbs
salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste
Set aside additional 1 cup breadcrumbs to coat cakes.

 

1/4 lb. butter for sauteeing
1/4 cup olive oil for saute pan

Place blue crab in large mixing bowl.
Stir in bell pepper, Cervantes Chile, green onions and granulated garlic to mix fully.

 

Break egg directly into mixture and stir until fully incorporated.

 

Using your clean hands, mix in buttermilk and breadcrumbs, feeling for consistency of mixture. Make certain all ingredients are easily held together in a large, somewhat moist ball. If crab mix doesn't hold together add buttermilk. Just don't allow crab to become so moist it falls apart.

 

Pour 1 cup breadcrumbs onto serving plate.

 

With your hands, form small round 1/2 inch thick crab cakes. Make sure they are firmly held together by binder.
Roll each cake in breadcrumbs, coating outside and edges with them.

 

Place prepared cakes on a plate, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour, allowing crab cakes to set (You may keep them overnight).

 

To serve
Heat a saute pan to medium, add 2 Tbsp butter and a few drops of Olive oil to pan.

 

Cook cakes in pan without overcrowding as quickly as possible until browned (3 mins or so). Remove and set aside for serving.

 

Personally, I serve these by using the left over red/yellow/green (if I use it) bell peppers. First I place them on a cookie sheet lined with foil under the broiler in the oven. Broil the peppers until almost burned (you'll smell them). Remove them when roasted all over. Wrap in a paper towel then place in a paper bag, closed tightly. Allow the peppers to 'sweat' off their skins. When cool enough to handle, peel them, seed and cut into julienne.

 

Place julienne on a side dish, drizzle with olive oil, add a few slivers of freshly sliced garlic, toss on some sliced red onion and serve. For a real treat, add a few drops of dry Sherry to the peppers before serving. You can serve these hot or cold and your guests will love them.