Love for Food

Coming from a family of foodies I thought for many weeks about what to make for brunch the day my parents arrived for a visit. I usually opt for the bagel and lox since it's a New York tradition. This year I wanted to do something a bit different. The June Food Network Magazine just happened to feature "Sunday Brunch" comprised of crab cakes, a salad, and a quiche. Perfect! It was ideal for my mom who said she needed to have salad and my dad who needed to have meat.

The crab cakes are a bit expensive to make. I bought a good can of crab which cost sixteen dollars. There was also a nine dollar one and a twenty three dollar one and I got the one in the middle. The rest of the ingredients are cheap and they came together pretty fast. You do have to let them come together in the fridge for two hours so make sure to keep that mind. Still at about four bucks per serving they make for an elegant brunch.

Much better than many other crab cakes I've had that had a lot of bread or tasted strongly of Old Bay. I made the salad to go along with it. It required a lot of work and ingredients. Next time I make make a simple mixed green salad and add some dill. I tested the sauce on the side but had to tweak it quite a bit so I didn't mention it here. Some good mayo with some minced pickles works well. I enjoyed these plain with some fresh lemon squeezed on them.

Ingredients: Serves Six
24 saltine crackers, crushed into coarse crumbs (about 1 cup)
1 large egg, beaten
1/2 cup mayonnaise (I used low fat)
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
1 tablespoon minced celery leaves
1 teaspoon mustard powder
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 pound jumbo lump crabmeat, picked over
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Method:

• Make the crab cakes: Place half of the cracker crumbs in a large bowl. Drizzle in the egg, then stir in the mayonnaise, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, parsley, celery leaves, celery seeds, mustard powder, chili powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste. Gently fold in the crabmeat. Form into six 3-inch-wide patties (about 1/2 cup crab mixture each). Spread the remaining cracker crumbs on a plate; press the crab cakes in the crumbs on both sides and around the edges. Transfer to a baking sheet. Cover and refrigerate until firm, 2 to 6 hours.
• Make the sauce: Mix the mayonnaise, lemon juice, pickles, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce and scallions in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
• Position a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 450 degrees F. Brush the crab cakes with the 6 tablespoons melted butter and bake until golden, 15 to 20 minutes.