Crab Cakes
Roasted Shrimp
Spicey Poki
Risotto with Shrimp
Cevichi
CRAB CAKES
Crab: Fresh best. If packaged, buy jumbo lump or lump crabmeat. Get rid of fishy smell by soaking in milk for 20 minutes. Avoid canned as is pressure heated at high temperatures (220-250°) and meat is drier and chewier. Added citric acid makes meat mealy and spongy. Refrigerated crabmeat is processed at 182-190°, much juicier and pricier. Best: Phillips Premium Crab Jumbo or Blue Star Blue Swimming Crabmeat Lump Meat. If canned, try Miller’s Select Lump Crab Meat.
Binders: Sauteed celery, onion and Old Bay seasoning. Traditional binders are eggs and mayonnaise, but may mask the crab flavor. Try a meat glue made of pureed meat or fish and a little cream?
Cooking. Chill cakes for 30 minutes so less fragile.
Recipe.
Soak 1 lb lump crabmeat in 1 c milk in refrigerator for ½ hour.
Put ¾ c panko in ziplock and crush fine with rolling pin. Mix with ¾ c uncrushed panko and toast medium-high till golden brown, about 5 minutes. Season with ¼ tsp salt and pepper. Wipe out skillet.
Pulse 2 celery ribs ch, ½ c onion ch, and 1 garlic clove smashed 5-8 pulses in food processor and move to bowl. Melt 1 tbsp butter medium and sauté vetetables, ½ tsp salt, ⅛ tsp pepper 4-6 minutes.
Drain crabmeat with pressure but do not break up lumps.
Line baking sheet with foil. Pulse 4 oz shrimp (peeled, deveined and tails removed) till finely ground. Add ¼ c heavy cream to combine. Transfer to bowl with vegetables. Add 2 tsp Dijon mustard, ½ tsp hot sauce, ½ tsp Old Bay seasoning. Stir and add crabmeat. Fold gently to not overmix or break up crab lumps. Divide into 8 balls and firmly press into ½” thick patties. Refrigerate 30 minutes covered with plastic. Coat each with panko pressing firmly to adhere crumbs to exterior.
Saute 4 patties at once medium until golden brown, 3-4 minutes. Flip, add more oil, reduce heat to medium low and cook 4-6 minutes loner. Repeat with other 4 patties.
ROASTED SHRIMP
Goes oven to table in 10 minutes with little prep.
Prevent Dryness. A juicy interior and thoroughly browned exterior are the goal. Use 500° heat, only jumbo shrimp, brine for 15 minutes, cook in-shell and cook on wire racks under broiler to prevent drying out.
How to Butterfly Shrimp. Starting at head snip throygh back of shell with itchen shears (or a very sharp paring knife_.. Cut from tail end toward head. Devein but do not remove shell. Using paring knife, continue to cut ½-inch deep slit in shrimp making sure to not cut through completely.
GARLICKY ROASTED SHRIMP
Dissolve ¼ c salt in 1 quart cold water.
Butterfly shrimps as above. Submerge shrimp in brine, cover and refrigerate for 15 minutes.
Adjust oven rack 4” from broiler. Combine 4 tbsp butter melted, ¼ c vegetable oil, 6 garlic cloves minced, 1 tsp anise seeds, ½ tsp red pepper flakes, ¼ tsp pepper in large bowl. Remove shrimp from brine and pat dry with paper towels. Add shrimp and 2 tbsp minced fresh parsley to butter mixture, toss well so butter gets into interiors of shrimp. Arrange shrimp in single layer on wire rack set in baking sheet.
Broil shrimp until opaque and shells are beginning to brown, 2-4 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through broiling. Flip shrimp an continue broil until second side is opaque and shells beginning to brown, 2-4 minutes, rotating pan halfway. Serve immediately with lemon wedges.
Garlicky Roast Shrimp with Cilantro and Lime
Omit butter and increase vegetable oil to ½ cup. Omit anise seeds and pepper. Add 2 tsp lightly crushed coriander seeds, 2 tsp lime zest and 1 tsp annatto powder (or achiote, in Latin American markets. An equal amount of paprika can be substituted. Substitute ¼ c minced fresh cilantro for parsley and lime wedges for lemon wedges.
Garlicky Roasted Shrimp with Cumin, Ginger and Sesame
Omit butter and increase vegetable oil to ½ cup. Decrease garlic to 2 cloves and omit anise and pepper. Add 2 tsp toasted sesame oil, 1½ tsp grated fresh ginger, 1 tsp cumin seeds to oil mixture in step 2. Substitute 2 sliced scallions for parsley and omit lemon wedges.
SPICEY POKI (Tuna)
I had this at the Mangrove Bay Restaurant in Micronesia. I am not much of a seafood guy, especially raw fish but this was delicious.
Marinate fresh tuna (or any good fish, frozen fresh is ok too, I suppose) in sesame oil, kimchi base and Wadakan soy sauce for just a few minutes. Serve with wasabi, soy sauce and a finely cut cole slaw.
They buy fresh tuna for $3/pound here!
RISOTTO WITH SHRIMP
Use arborio rice toasted to give it a nutty flavour. Cook with some vegetable broth until creamy, barely thicker than soup. Use butter compounded with blue crab eggs. Leave the heads on the shrimp and heat quickly over an intense flame without touching the grill to prevent char. Drizzle vegetable oil infused with chives and parsley to cut through the creaminess of the risotto and give a bright colour to the dish.
Finish with crunchy baby radish and thinly sliced fennel.
CEVICHE
Ceviche is ocean fish or shellfish marinated in lemon or sour lime juice and seasonings. In addition to adding flavour, the citric acid causes the proteins in the seafood to become denatured, appearing to be cooked. Because the dish is eaten raw and not cooked with heat, it must be prepared fresh and consumed immediately to minimize the risk of food poisoning. Acid marinades will not kill bacteria or parasitic worms, unlike the heat of cooking. Traditional-style ceviche was marinated for about three hours. Modern-style ceviche usually has a very short marinating period. The appropriate fish can marinate in the time it takes to mix the ingredients, serve, and carry the ceviche to the table.
In Mexico, the U.S, the marinade ingredients include salt, lime, onion, chilli peppers, avocado, cucumber, and cilantro or cut olives and tomatoes. it is served either in cocktail cups with tostadas or as a tostada topping and taco filling. Tuna and mackerel are popular bases.
The ceviche accompaniments can also be different: Colombia, Panama and Guatemala with salty soda crackers. In Mexico, it is served with corn tostadas or with crackers.
Ceviche is often eaten as an appetizer; if eaten as a main dish, it is usually accompanied by side dishes that complement its flavours, such as sweet potato, lettuce, maize, avocado, or cooking banana.
Ingredients
Ocean fish – wild red snapper, corvina, sea bass, mahi-mahi, halibut, scallops or shrimp. Tilapia and farmed fish are best avoided.
Limes – use ripe fresh lime juice to cure the fish. Rock-hard limes produce little juice and are overly tart.
Red onion- Red adds a nice colour, but yellow, sweet or white onions all work.
Tomatoes – Cherry or grape tomatoes have an extra sweet flavour.
Cucumber – thinned-skinned cucumbers don’t need to be peeled. English etc.
Fresh Cilantro – a must! Or if you must sub, go with Italian parsley. Lime juice really mitigates the “soapy” flavour.
Jalapeno Peppers – and heat and a delicious “freshness.”
Optional addition: avocado, radishes.
Method. Slice the onions. In a bowl, add salt and lime juice and let these marinate while you continue- this will help remove the bitterness from the onion. Cut the fish into 1/2-inch to 3/4-inch cubes and toss them with the marinating onions. Add the remaining ingredients- cucumber, tomatoes and cilantro and give a good toss. If adding avocado, wait until serving to add it.
Refrigerate for 45-60 minutes. The longer you let the fish cure in the marinade, the more “cooked” through the ceviche will become. I find 45 minutes is perfect.
Serve: Mini Ceviche Tostados, Ceviche served in a coconut, Mini Ceviche appetizer cups or shot glasses, Ceviche lettuce cups, Plated as a first course. Or, for a special dinner, you could plate ceviche over a creamy avocado sauce for a beautiful first course.
