Crab Cakes

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            FOOD FUNNY
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This one has been around even longer than I have. Thanks again to
"DRSPAGHETI" for sending it to us.

Diary Of A Glad Newlywed

Dear Diary:

Monday: Now home from honeymoon and settled in our new home. It's fun
to cook for Bob. Today I made angel food cake. The recipe said,
"Beat 12 eggs separately". The neighbors were nice enough to loan me
some extra bowls.

Tuesday: Bob wanted fruit salad for supper. The recipe said, "Serve
without dressing." So I didn't dress. What a surprise when Bob
brought a friend home for supper.

Wednesday: A good day for rice. Recipe said, "Wash thoroughly before
steaming the rice." It seemed kinda of silly but I took a bath. I
can't say it improved the rice any.

Thursday: Today Bob asked for salad again. I tried a new recipe. It
said, "Prepare ingredients, then toss on a bed of lettuce one hour
before serving." Which is what led up to Bob asking me why there was
lettuce in our bed that night.

Friday: I found an easy recipe for cookies. It said, "Put all
ingredients in bowl and beat it." There must have been something
wrong with this recipe. When I got back, everything was the same as
when I left.

Saturday: Bob did the shopping today and brought home a chicken. He
asked me to dress it for Sunday. (oh boy) For some reason Bob keeps
counting to ten.

Sunday: Bob's folks came to dinner. I wanted to serve roast. All I
could find was hamburger. Suddenly I had a flash of genius. I put
the hamburger in the oven and set the controls for roast. It still
came out hamburger, much to my disappointment.

Good night, Dear Diary. This has been a very exciting week. I am
eager for tomorrow to come so I can try out a new recipe on Bob. If
we could just get a bigger oven, I would like to surprise him with
"Chocolate Moose."

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            TODAY'S RECIPE
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I was taking inventory of the contents of my freezer and refrigerator
recently and decided I don't eat enough seafood. I plan to rectify
that situation, and I hope you'll join me with the following menu:

Monday's Starter
Crab Cakes

Tuesday's Soup or Salad
Hot and Sour Shrimp Soup

Wednesday's Side Dish
Linguine with Steamed Clams

Thursday's Entree
Sesame-Crusted Salmon

Friday's Dessert
Peach Upside-Down Cake

I have had plenty of crab cakes that tasted exactly like big lumps of
fried bread crumbs, and I know you have too. The secret to great crab
cakes is to use as little bread crumbs as possible, as in this recipe.

Crab Cakes

1 lb (450 g) lump crab meat, picked over
4 scallions (spring onions), green parts only, chopped
1/4 cup (60 ml) mayonnaise
2-4 Tbs (30-60 ml) dry bread crumbs
1 Tbs (15 ml) chopped fresh parsley, basil, or cilantro
(coriander leaves)
2 tsp (10 ml) Old Bay or other seafood seasoning
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 egg, lightly beaten
All-purpose flour for dredging
1/4 cup (60 ml) vegetable or olive oil

Combine the crab meat, scallions, mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of
the bread crumbs, herb, and seasonings in a mixing bowl and toss
gently to combine. Carefully fold in the egg with a rubber spatula
until the mixture just clings together, adding more bread crumbs if
necessary. Form into 4 to 6 patties and refrigerate for 30 minutes to
overnight. Dredge lightly in flour. Heat the oil in a large skillet
- preferably non-stick - over moderate heat and fry the crab cakes
until crisp and browned, about 4 minutes per side. Serve with tartar
sauce. Serves 4 to 6.
Received on Mon Jun 7 06:11:19 2004