Crab Cakes with Rémoulade

So… full disclosure… the recipe is actually Crab Cakes with Snow Pea Slaw. But I didn’t make it with the snow pea slaw so I’m leaving it out of this particular post because it’s a separate recipe. If anyone wants me to post it, I absolutely can, but I haven’t tried it yet.

Now… on to the actual crab cakes. O-M-G… amazing. LOVED them. This will be my go-to recipe for crab cakes going forward. I’ve tried others and they were okay, but I was never super thrilled. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve made them and enjoyed them. But there was never a crab cake recipe that I’ve tried that wow’ed me. This one wow’ed me. Big time… I’ll definitely be making these again, without a doubt.

Okay… so a note about how I customized this to suit my own taste. I pretty much followed this recipe to the letter with the exception of the capers (which I reduced to 1 tablespoon) and I skipped the chives because I’m not a fan.

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Ingredients:

Rémoulade
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 small garlic clove, finely grated
1 1/2 tablespoon capers
1 1/2 tablespoon whole-grain mustard
1 tablespoon ketchup
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh chives


Crab Cakes
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 large egg
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
8 ounces jumbo lump crabmeat
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

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To make the rémoulade, in a medium bow, whisk together the mayonnaise, garlic, capers, mustard, ketchup, chives, parsley, hot sauce, lime juice, salt, and pepper to taste. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until serving.

To make the crab cakes, in a medium bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, egg, lime juice, Old Bay, and salt. Add the panko and crabmeat and toss with a fork to combine. Shape the mixture into four patties.

In a large nonstick skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Fry the crab cakes on both sides until golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Transfer each to a plate and serve with rémoulade.

Cucumber, Peach, and Feta Salad

The Happy Cook
Daphne Oz

I don’t remember when I bought this book but it’s been a while. So I’m kind of kicking myself that I didn’t browse through it much sooner because there are some really interesting recipes in it. One of which is this salad. It’s light, refreshing, and very tasty. So it’s definitely one I’ll be making again. And best of all, it’s quick and simple so it’s something that can be added as a side dish when you want to switch things up a little bit.

Just a quick note… I pretty much followed this recipe to the letter, with the exception of the chives. Not a fan, so I skipped them. I used to think that not including all the ingredients was an unforgivable sin. But it’s not. We’re allowed to tweak to our own tastes. So I tweaked.

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Ingredients:

1 English (seedless) cucumber or 4 Persian (mini) cucumbers sliced into thin rounds
2 peaches, halved, pitted, and thinly sliced
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese (preferably Belgian or French)
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 small garlic clove, grated on a microplane-style rasp
1 teaspoon grainy mustard
1 teaspoon honey
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly cracked black pepper
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup fresh chives

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On a platter, alternate slices of cucumber and peaches. Crumble the feta over the top.

In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, garlic, mustard, honey, salt, and pepper to taste. While whisking, slowly drizzle in the olive oil until the dressing is creamy and emulsified.

Drizzle the dressing over the salad and service sprinkled with the chives.

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Two variations were included at the bottom of the recipe:

Variation #1:
In the winter you can make this salad with grapes instead of peaches.

Variation #2:
Feta cheese can have a very assertive, salty flavor. If you prefer a more mellow flavor, you can substitute ricotta salata or goat cheese.

Chicken Vesuvio

The Complete Cooking
for Two Cookbook –
America’s Test Kitchen

So it’s been quite some time since I’ve updated.  And I really need to get better about that.  But that’s also what got me back because I want to remember what I make so that if it’s something we really enjoyed, I can make it again.  And it helps when you get stuck in a rut making the same old things over and ov¼er again.  Which is what led me to this recipe.

I look around at all the cookbooks I have and I surprise myself with how lazy I can get about finding something to make for dinner.  But last night I decided to jump back into the deep end of the pool.  I got sick of the same old thing, so I went searching and came up with this beauty.  And I’m happy to say, it was a hit!  And I’ll definitely be making it again because it was THAT GOOD. 😊

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Ingredients:

¼ cup all-purpose flour
2 (6- to 8-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed and painted if necessary
Salt and Pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
12 ounces red potatoes, unpeeled, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon minced fresh oregano or ¼ teaspoon dried
½ teaspoon minced fresh rosemary or a pinch teaspoon dried
1 cup chicken broth
¼ cup dry white wine
½ cup frozen peas, thawed
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled
1 teaspoon lemon juice

 

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1. Spread the flour in the shallow dish.  Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper.  Working with 1 breast at a time, dredge the breasts in flour.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking.  Brown the chicken lightly, 3 to 4 minutes per side; transfer to plate and wipe skillet clean.
3. Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in now-empty skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering.  Add potatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 7 minutes.  Stir in garlic, oregano, rosemary, and a pinch of salt and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Stir in broth and wine, scraping any browned bits.
4. Nestle browned chicken into potatoes, add any accumulated juices, and bring to simmer.  Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until chicken registers 160 degrees, 12 to 18 minutes, flipping chicken halfway through cooking; transfer chicken to serving platter and tent loosely with aluminum foil.
5. Increase heat to medium and continue to simmer potatoes and sauce, uncovered, until potatoes are tender and sauce is slight thickened, 5 to 7 minutes.  Using slotted spoon, transfer potatoes to platter with chicken.  Off heat, stir peas, butter, and lemon juice into sauce and season with salt and pepper to taste.  Pour sauce over chicken and potatoes and serve.

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Right before taking the chicken and potatoes out to finish making the sauce.

The finished product. Since I’m not a fan of peas, I cheated and made myself a side of corn.
No judging. 😁