HARBOUR HOUSE MARYLAND CRAB CAKES

It's amazing how many variations on crab cakes there are. This one is from the Harbour House Restaurant, Annapolis, Maryland. I haven't tried it yet, but I'm sure it's good. Let me know if you try it. Leave a comment at the end of any post.

Harbour House Maryland Crab Cakes
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1 egg, beaten
5 Tbsp. mayonnaise
1 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh parsley
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. prepared mustard
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. white pepper
1 lb. crab meat, cartilage removed

Whisk all ingredients except crab meat in medium bowl, mixing well. Fold in crab meat lightly but thoroughly. Form into 6 cakes. Deep fry at 350F until golden brown, 2-3 minutes. Or fry lightly in olive oil in heavy pan, 3-4 minutes each side.

GUY'S STEAMED CRABS

My husband, Guy, loves crabs. He dreams about crabs all year. We call him "the crab Guy." He has his own blogspot -- thecrabguy.blogspot.com. Guy set a crab trap at our friend's dock in Pamlico County. He checks it regularly and also crabs over there. Yesterday, he caught half a dozen crabs. We're from New Jersey, where you clean them before you eat them. He cleaned them right at the dock and iced them before he brought them home. Here's what they look like when they're cleaned, iced and ready to be cooked:

In order to cook crabs properly, you need a crab steamer. It's a big pot with a steamer insert.
The crabs are fresh but dead, so you can easily pick them up and put them in the pot. Be sure the water is boiling briskly before the crabs go in; you want lots of steam.
Sprinkle the crabs with Old Bay or Chesapeake Bay Seasoning. Not too much, or they'll be too salty. Cover the pot and let the crabs steam for about 10 minutes. Serve them with apple cider vinegar in little cups. You can sprinkle some more seasoning in the cups like the Maryland people do or just have the the vinegar plain like New Jersey people do. If you want to know how to clean the live crabs, surf over to thecrabguy.blogspot.com and check it out. Guy has a You-Tube video on how to clean crabs. It's not his video, but the method is almost the same, except Guy doesn't cut the crabs in half. He's going to make his own video soon. Oh, and BTW, Guy is selling his adorable crab boards (see the top photo). They're not just adorable, they're also practical. Everyone who uses them loves them, because the board provides a hard surface on which to crack open the crabs. The mallet comes with the board and he may be packaging a set of board, mallet, knife and cup -- still working on it.

CRABMEAT SUPREME WITH PIMIENTO SAUCE

This recipe is from Ginger Silvers, Food Editor-Sentinel Newspapers, who has authored several cookbooks and wrote a popular food column. I haven't tried it, but it sounds really good. Let us know if you try this one by leaving a comment at the end of any post.

Crabmeat Supreme
INGREDIENTS:
1 lb. backfin crabmeat
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup chopped parsley
3/4 cup Lite mayonnaise (I like Smart Balance)
1/4 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/8 tsp. liquid hot pepper sauce
Sea salt, to taste
10 oz. pkg. frozen patty shells, thawed in package
Pimiento Sauce (see recipe below)

Remove cartilage from crabmeat. Combine crabmeat with next 6 ingredients; set aside. Roll out each patty shell into a circle. Spoon about 1/3 cup crab mixture into center of each shell; fold up ends to completely enclose crabmeat. Place patties, sealed ends down, on an ungreased baking sheet. At this point you may refrigerate puffs for 4-6 hours. Bake in 425F oven for
35-45 minutes, or til pastry is puffed and lightly browned. Serve with Pimiento Sauce.
Makes 6 puffs.

Pimiento Sauce
INGREDIENTS:
1/4 cup Smart Balance buttery spread (or butter if you prefer)
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2-1/2 cups milk (or fat-free half and half -- Land o'Lakes, only because it won't curdle)
1 tsp. finely chopped onion
1 tsp. lemon or orange zest
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/8 tsp. black pepper
1/2 cup chopped pimientos

Melt Smart Balance in a 1-quart saucepan; blend in flour. Gradually stir in milk. Add onion, zest, salt and pepper. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until thickened. Add pimientos. Serve with Crabmeat Supreme. Makes about 2-1/2 cups sauce
NOTE: This sauce may be prepared and refrigerated one day in advance. Reheat in double boiler (or microwave).

AVOCADOS STUFFED WITH CRAB AND SHRIMP

This is a very easy, healthful and delicious recipe, great for a family lunch or dinner, or for company. Serve it with crusty French bread.

Avocados Stuffed with Crab & Shrimp
INGREDIENTS:
1/2 lb. cooked Blue Crab meat, cartilage removed
1/2 lb. cooked, peeled, cleaned shrimp
3 avocados, peeled, cut lengthwise in half, seeds removed
Romaine lettuce leaves
3 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
Remoulade dressing

Lightly mix crab meat and shrimp together in small bowl. Place avocado halves on lettuce. Fill centers of avocados with crab meat and shrimp; sprinkle each serving of crab/shrimp with about 1-1/2 tsp. lime juice; drizzle remoulade dressing over top and serve with extra remoulade sauce on the side. Yield: 6 servings

Remoulade Dressing
1 cup mayonnaise or salad dressing
1/4 cup chopped sweet onion
1/4 cup chopped pickle (or sweet relish)
1 cooked egg yolk, sieved
1 Tbsp. lime juice
1 tsp. capers, chopped
1/2 tsp. Tabasco

Combine all ingredients and mix thoroughly. Chill. Makes 1-1/2 cups of dressing.

TIDEWATER INN'S CRAB IMPERIAL, ADAPTED

The legendary Tidewater Inn, Easton, Maryland, has graciously shared this recipe. Who doesn't love imperial crab? This is a great recipe for a family meal, or for company. And it's easy. (I've made a few changes to the recipe, removing the MSG, changing regular salt to sea salt, using fresh herbs, switching the green pepper to roasted red pepper and updating the mayo.) Remember to come back and leave a comment if you try this recipe.

Tidewater Inn's Crab Imperial, adapted
INGREDIENTS:
2 eggs
1/2 cup lite mayonnaise + 2 Tbsp. for topping
1-1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1-1/2 tsp. finely chopped fresh thyme
1-1/2 tsp. finely chopped fresh oregano
1 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh parsley + 3 Tbsp. for topping
1/8 tsp. dry mustard
2 lbs. backfin crabmeat, cartilage removed
few dashes liquid hot pepper sauce
2 tsp. paprika (approximate)
1/2 roasted red pepper, cut in thin strips

Preheat oven to 350F. In large bowl, mix together eggs, 1/2 cup mayo and next 6 ingredients. Gently mix in crabmeat. Coat a 2-quart casserole lightly with non-stick cooking spray and fill with crabmeat mixture. Spread a thin layer of mayo over top of crab mixture and sprinkle with paprika. Bake about 40 minutes or till mixture is hot and lightly browned. About 5 minutes before crab mixture is done cooking, remove from oven and place the roasted red pepper strips on top. Return to oven to finish cooking. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley before serving.
(Note: This would also be nice served in individual ramekins or other baking dishes.)
Yield: 8 servings

ROD 'N' REEL'S CRAB SOUP, adapted

Rod 'n' Reel Restaurant, Chesapeake Beach, Maryland, gave us this non-cream soup recipe. This is more like New York style clam chowder, with a tomato-vegetable base and sounds delicious to me. Let us know if you try it -- leave a comment at the end of any blogpost.

Rod 'n' Reel's Crab Soup, adapted
INGREDIENTS:
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 cups diced carrots
2 cups coarsely chopped onion
1-1/2 cups coarsely chopped celery
2 quarts low-sodium chicken broth
16-oz. can whole tomatoes, crushed
1 Tbsp. seafood seasoning
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce (I would try 1 tsp. first and taste before adding more)
3 cups diced potatoes
16-oz. can whole tomatoes, crushed
1 lb. crabmeat, cartilage removed

In large heavy pot, saute carrots, onion and celery in the oil over medium heat till wilted. Turn up heat and add broth, tomatoes, seasoning and 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce. When broth boils, cover pot, reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Add potatoes and cook 20 minutes more, or till they are tender. Add crabmeat and just heat through, about 5 minutes. Yield: 3-1/2 quarts

HARBOUR HOUSE CREAM OF CRAB SOUP

This recipe is from Harbour House restaurant, Annapolis, Maryland. And we all know that Maryland is famous for its crabs, crab recipes and restaurants serving crabfood. I haven't tried this one yet -- if you do, please leave a comment and let us all know how it turned out.

Harbour House Cream of Crab Soup
1/4 cup butter
1/3 cup flour
1 cup chicken broth
1/4 tsp. pepper
5 cups milk (how about Land o'Lakes fat-free half and half?)
1 lb. backfin crabmeat, cartilage removed
Salt, to taste (Possibly consider adding some ground nutmeg & cayenne pepper)


Melt butter in 3-quart heavy pot. Blend in flour and stir until smooth. Slowly stir in chicken broth and pepper and simmer for 2 minutes. Add milk and cook slowly, stirring constantly until thickened. DO NOT BOIL. Add crabmeat and salt to taste; heat through. Yield: about 10 cups