Crab and Goat Cheese Cakes with Harissa-Lemon Mayo

This is the first time I have made crab cakes, but they turned out so well I thought I'd share the recipe even though it is not really tested.  But crab cakes are not complicated and you can mix and match ingredients any way you want.  I was in the mood for a bit of goat cheese to go with the crab.  And again with the harissa!  It goes so well with seafood, so why not.  Here the harissa is mixed with mayo and lemon for a great sauce.

Serves 4 as an appetizer.

Ingredients:
7 oz cooked crab meat
2 Tbsp mayonnaise (I used low-fat)
1 egg
1 tsp dijon mustard
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
2.5 oz goat cheese, softened
2 tsp harissa
1/2 cup panko for the cakes
1 cup panko for coating






Set oven to 450 degrees F.  Line a baking pan with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.

Put the 1 cup of panko crumbs into a bowl.  Mix all other ingredients together.  Shape cakes about 2 inches in diameter.  Roll each crab cake in the panko crumbs to coat.




I sprayed the top of mine lightly with a spray cooking oil to help brown the top.  Bake about 15-20 minutes until golden brown.




 

Serve with harissa-lemon mayo (1/4 cup mayo, 1 tsp harissa and juice of 1/2 lemon).

Dungeness Crab with Harissa-Lemon Butter

People who knew me as a full-on vegetarian in the past might be surprised that I now cook live crab and lobster.  But they are so delicious when freshly cooked!  And although I am still completely against factory farming, I can still enjoy meat now and then without feeling too guilty: buy local, buy organic, and where possible, buy from people you know and make sure they are treating the animals well.

As for this crab ... I actually have no idea where it came from.  But it goes on sale very few times during the year and so I had to take advantage of the low price.








Putting them in the freezer for 20 minutes or so before cooking will numb them a bit and they won't move much which makes them easier to handle.  If you want to believe it is more humane, well, think whatever you want.  But if you are worried about that, you probably shouldn't be doing this in the first place.




When serving, assume one crab per person.  The dungeness crab found in stores tend to be about 2 lbs apiece which yields about 8 oz of crab meat (so 25% of the total weight).  And always consider cooking an extra one or two for leftovers.

I don't cook crab often so don't feel I can offer advice on how to clean them for guests.  The few times I've done it are with good enough friends that you just plop the crab on the table (after spreading newspaper down) and let everyone work it out for themselves.

You need a very large pot - a 12-litre stock pot should be good for 3 crabs.  I have to admit mine was a bit short on size so they were kind of crammed in but I made it work.  Make sure you bring the well-salted water to a hard boil.

Cook about 15-18 minutes.  Remove from boiling water and plunge into a bowl of ice-water so the meat stops cooking or it might get rubbery.  It doesn't need to sit in the cold water long, just enough to cool it down.






Then serve immediately.  Crab always goes well with potatoes and corn (add sausage and you've got yourself a Southern crab boil).  Serve with lemon slices, garlic butter or this Harissa-Lemon Butter (I saw something similar used as a steak sauce and knew it would be delicious with seafood):

Harissa-Lemon Butter:
5 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 clove garlic
3 tsp harissa

Crepes with Plum-Chocolate "Nutella"

Crepes get a bit of a bad rap sometimes for not being healthy, but it's all about what you put in or on them.  I'm not a big fan of whipping cream;  I find it generally unnecessary and doesn't really add to the taste of most dishes.  This crepe is stuffed full of strawberries and bananas and the plum nutella is definitely more plum than chocolate.  I am referring to it as plum "nutella" because I was inspired by several recipes that also called it that.   But it's really just a delicious mix of plum preserves and chocolate.

These strawberries were from my garden last year; I still have a few bags in the freezer!

Plum Nutella



1 1/3 cup plum preserve*
5-6 squares semi-sweet chocolate


* I made my preserve in the summer when plums were ripe.  Remove pits and place in a food processor.  Process until a smooth paste.  Pour into a pot and add sugar to taste.  Cook on low-medium heat until thickened.  Allow to cool.  Great for pies or muffins.





To make the nutella, just heat the plum preserve and chocolate until chocolate is melted.  Store in mason jars in fridge.

Also delicious on toast with peanut butter!


  
 




Crepe Batter

In one bowl:
1 cup flour
2 whole eggs
1 tsp sugar
pinch of salt
1 cup milk
2 Tbsp melted butter



Whisk until smooth.  Allow to rest - 10-15 minutes.  Just before preparing crepes, whisk in a 1/2 cup soda water.


Cooking crepes


Pour about a 1/2 cup into a heated non-stick skillet.  Tilt the pan to swirl the batter into a thin layer around the pan.  It should only take a half to one minute per side.  Place on a clean towel while cooking the remainder.

Assembling the crepes















Melt the plum-chocolate mixture in the microwave make it easier to spread.








Spread some of the plum-chocolate sauce onto a crepe, top with bananas, strawberries or other fruit (ooh, I bet kiwi would be delicious).  Maybe whipped cream if you like it?  Chocolate shavings?  Anything works.  The crepe can be folded around the fillings or go for the full wrap.

If you have any interesting fillings that you think I should try, let me know in the comments.