Crab Cakes with Sriracha Remoulade

Last weekend I wanted to make some kind of seafood for dinner.  Problem is, living smack dab in the middle of a land locked state, your fresh seafood options are often limited.  I checked to see what was fresh that day at the Publix seafood counter, and there wasn't much.  Catfish, previously frozen shrimp, etc, nothing sounded appealing.  But there was one thing...lump crab meat.

So crab cakes it was!  This recipe is for Maryland-style crab cakes, which means baked rather than fried, with a whole lot of crab meat and not much bread or filler.  I spiced them up with some Sriracha Remoulade, which is creamy, spicy, and delightful.  Yum!

Crab Cakes with Sriracha Remoulade

Ingredients:

1 lb lump crab meat (I use 8 oz lump, 8 oz jumbo lump)
1/2 cup bread crumbs, divided
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp mustard powder
1 tsp dried parsley
1/8 tsp black pepper
2 tsp Old Bay seasoning
1 Tbsp light mayo
2 Tbsp butter, melted
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
2 eggs, beaten
Sriracha Remoulade (recipe below)

Preheat oven to 375.  Drain crab meat well.

In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients, beginning with 1/4 cup bread crumbs through the Old Bay.

In a second bowl, combine wet ingredients (mayo through eggs).

Gently fold crab meat into wet ingredients.

Then gently add dry ingredients to the wet crab mixture.

Keep folding until thoroughly combined.  Cover and refrigerate 1-2 hours.  This will allow the dry ingredients to soak up a lot of the moisture and firm up some.

When you remove from the fridge, stir and evaluate the consistency   You want it to be moist, but dry enough that you could form patties.  This is where you will add the remaining 1/4 cup bread crumbs until you reach the desired consistency.

Next, form into 12 "cakes".  You want them to be loose though, more like a mound than a packed-tight cake.  I just spooned it onto a lined and sprayed cookie sheet in 12 roughly shaped little mounds.

Bake for 15 minutes.  Remove from oven and flip.  Return to oven just to finish cooking through, no more than 10 minutes.  Watch them closely so they don't get too brown on the bottom.

Serve hot, topped with Sriracha Remoulade and chives.  Enjoy!

Sriracha Remoulade

If you have never used Sriracha before, this is a great way to try it.  It's a Thai chili sauce that packs a lot of heat and a lot of flavor.  We add it to everything from meatloaf to sandwiches.  Here's what it looks like:

Some people refer to it as "Rooster Sauce."  I'm not quite sure why there's a rooster on it though.  Maybe because it's good on chicken?  Maybe it contains roosters?  Maybe it says the reason, but it's in Thai, so I can't be sure.  It's one of life's mysteries.  At least until I learn Thai.

Ingredients:

3 Tbsp light mayo
3 Tbsp sour cream
1 Tbsp Sriracha (or to taste)
1 Tbsp sweet pickle relish
1 clove garlic, finely minced
dash salt

Combine all ingredients.  Chill until ready to serve.

Pan Seared Salmon with Lemon-Dill Sauce

This salmon is probably Brent's very favorite thing that I make.  It's pretty awesome, because it is, in no particular order:

- super figure-friendly (carb-free, heart healthy omega-threes, full of protein)
- cost effective (these two filets cost $5.11!  that's it!  with tax!)
- quick prep (cooks in 10 minutes!)
- so delicious (really, it is so good)

This is a great example of how eating at home can beat the heck out of going out.  You know exactly what's in it.  There's no butter, oil, or greasiness of any kind.  It's fast and easy to make.  And there is no comparing the price.  At Publix this weekend, salmon filets were on sale for $5.99/lb, which made this less than $3 per person!  If you have a new year's resolution to eat healthy, you should try this.  If you have a new year's resolution to save money, you should also try this.  If you currently prefer salmon cakes to salmon filets (this means you Jane!) you should most definitely try this. 

What I'm trying to say is: make this immediately. 

You can thank me later.

 Pan Seared Salmon with Lemon-Dill Sauce

Ingredients:

Two fresh salmon filets
1/3 cup Dale's Seasoning (I use reduced sodium)
1 lemon
6 sprigs fresh dill
3 Tbsp light mayo
3 Tbsp light sour cream

Remove skin from the filets, or get the guy at the fish counter to do it for you.  Pour Dale's evenly over fish to coat, and allow to marinate for 1-2 hours.

While the filets marinate, combine mayo and sour cream.  Chop dill finely, and add to mayo mixture.

Next add some lemon zest to the mixture.

Then cut the lemon in half, and squeeze the juice of one half into the mayo mixture.

Add a dash of salt.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.

When you're ready to cook the salmon, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Once it's hot, spray with non stick cooking spray, and add the salmon.

Cook 4 minutes, then flip.  Then squeeze juice of other lemon half over the filets.  Reduce heat to medium-low, and cover.  Allow to cook another 5-7 minutes, until cooked through.  Serve immediately with the lemon-dill sauce.  Garnish with a twist of lemon and a sprig of fresh dill.  Enjoy!