Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Recipe# 57 & 58 -Stirring the Pot: Crab Cakes and Zucchini Crab Fritters


Working my way through Tyler's Stirring the Pot has presented different challenges along the way. Now that I'm more than halfway through the book, one of the biggest challenges has been sourcing some of the more "specialty" items. I suspect this was the reason why I never made them in the first place. It wasn't that Lobster Cakes with Lemon Aioli and Bacon Frisee Salad didn't sound good or that I feared no one would like Zucchini Crab Fritters with Grapefruit Aioli. It was simply because I never found fresh lobster and never ran across fresh crab that looked good enough to use.

When Crab Tater Tots came due for Symon Sundays I knew it was time to get serious and get my hands on some crab. I hightailed it to the city, going to 3 specialty stores, and only found two cans of pasteurized crab in all my searches. One can contained one pound of lump crab meat, $26.99 and the other can contained one pound of claw meat, $8.99. The lump crab meat is ideal, but since I was going to be frying most of my recipes, I opted for the can of claw meat. Eager to make the most of my crab, I spread it out and made three crab recipes. The first recipe was Symon's Crab Tater Tots, the second was Tyler's Zucchini Crab Fritters, and the third was Tyler's Lobster Cakes, which I had to turn into crab cakes simply because I don't think I'll ever find fresh lobster anywhere around here.

Let's talk about these tasty little morsels known as Zucchini Crab Fritters with Grapefruit Aioli. Well worth getting out the deep fryer, these are a real treat! First, zucchini is sliced thinly with a powerfully sharp mandoline. The thinly sliced zucchini is salted and set aside so that they moisture is drawn out and the slices become pliable. Crab is mixed with egg white and seasoned simply with salt and pepper. A spoonful of crab is placed on one end of each zucchini slice and rolled up, starting with the end that has the crab meat. Each zucchini fritter is rolled in flour, dipped in egg, and finished in panko. Tyler always advises to let your coated items set aside in the refrigerator for at least 10-15 minutes. He says that this added step helps the coating to set up. I use this tip constantly, applying it to all coatings, and have had lots of success with it.

After resting, the fritters are ready to be fried for 3-4 minutes and dipped in a delicious grapefruit aioli. Everyone loved these fritters, including my husband who isn't the biggest fan of crab. We ate them up in record time!

Saving the best for last are these fabulous Lobster turned Crab Cakes with Lemon Aioli and Bacon Frisee Salad. (NOTE: In all my travels I didn't find frisee either, so I used a mix of field greens) The crab cakes were very simple and delicately flavored with sliced white bread, egg white and mayo. Panfried until crisp, they were served with the most delicious and bacony salad and an equally delicious and complimentary lemon aioli. I found this recipe to be my favorite of all three crab recipes.

Although I would've enjoyed having fresh crab, the pasteurized canned claw meat worked well in all three applications. I would buy it again if I couldn't find fresh.

Both recipes can be found on Tyler's blog, or by clicking on the links below:
Zucchini Crab Fritters with Grapefruit Aioli
Lobster/Crab Cakes with Lemon Aioli and Bacon Frisee Salad

I'm submitting my Crab Cakes with Lemon Aioli and Bacon Frisee Salad to Beth at The Seventh Level of Boredom for The Bacon Games, a very tasty and promising new foodie adventure.

25 comments:

  1. Each dish looks better than the last!!

    Sometimes I forget how lucky we are to live on an island, with a wonderful fish shop nearby.

    I blogged about your Banana Milkshake today :-}

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  2. Oh yum, yum, yum!!!

    I feel your pain, Kim. It seems like I can never find those ingredients, either.

    Thanks for submitting this to The Bacon Games!

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  3. I adore crab. I don't adore the price. To be honest, for a lot of recipes I cheap out and get the claw meat rather than lump. And the thing is, I think the claw meat tastes more, um, crabby.

    Your idea for crab cakes sounds better to me than lobster cakes. They look amazing with the aioli and salad. Great job!

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  4. I think there is one source for fresh lobster in the Twin Cities - so I hear you. And the cost is akin to a mortgage payment. Fresh crab legs periodicially come our way. And when they do, the crab cakes will be on my list. Love the tip about refrigerating before cooking. The recipes look so wonderfully indulgent.

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  5. I had a hard time finding cheap crab as well, which is why I went canned. I love the sound of these fritters though! Especially with that aioli. Super moan.

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  6. I can only imagine how wonderful these were!

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  7. i remember having that problem, it's so frustrating when you want to make a certain dish so bad. everything looks SOOO amazing, i love the grapefruit aioli. great minds must think alike because i have a fritter and aioli recipe up to!

    hey, out of curiousity, how far are you from south carolina? i might be taking a trip there this summer, if you're not too far, maybe we could meet up?

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  8. Simple and tasty. Will try to make this recipe soon with some wonderful zucchini.

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  9. All 3 look beautiful (I can appreciate zucchini if I don't actually have to eat it, lol). You've done an amazing job working your way through STP. I was looking through it just last week for some inspiration.

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  10. Kim, I've always wondered what the canned crab meat tastes like. I've never used it. I'm glad to know it worked out great for these recipes. Your recipes are making me want to go buy some canned crab and make something NOW! Both recipes look super scrumptious and I can't wait to get me some crab!

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  11. My husband is allergic to seafood so we don't have it very often, but when I see recipes like this I want to find a way to sneak it in when he's not around. :)

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  12. Kim, You sure have been dedicated to Stirring the Pot and I am impressed. Sometimes the food blogging can get expensive, especially when you commit to finishing up a book like you did.

    I am a total loser when it came to finishing Nigella Express but part of why I quit was the rich cream and high calorie intake. I feared we’d be diabetic or obese by the time I finished! But
    I applaud your efforts at sticking with Tyler . One day I will get back to that cookbook. You turned me on to that one!

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  13. Hi Kim,

    Those look awesome and yummy...:)

    Dr.Sameena@

    http://www.myeasytocookrecipes.blogspot.com

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  14. Oh, I do love fried goodies :)
    I really like that picture where you have the thinly sliced zucchini, it looks so pretty.
    *kisses* HH

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  15. It's so hard to find good seafood around here too--sad!! :-(

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  16. Kim, these recipes turned out wonderful. I would suspect that getting really fresh crab or lobster would be pricey in Kentucky but, you did good. I live in Florida, and fresh seafood is readily available. If I could, I would have sent you some :-)

    Cheers.
    Velva

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  17. That's a great tip, about letting things to fry sit in the fridge first...I'll try it! You did a fabulously frugal job...my mouth is totally watering just thinking about it all!

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  18. These both look amazing! Wow! Love everything going on here. : )

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  19. Yum--I am liking both recipes--the cakes with the bacon would have to win though. ;-) Crab is so expensive here that I find the canned claw meat does pretty well when it is mixed in with other ingredients and it is so much less, you can't beat it when you live in a no-crab zone.

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  20. Both are marvelous recipes and I've bookmarked them. You are one fine cook and I'd love to sit at your table. Have a wonderful day. Blessings...Mary

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  21. Love your little crab fest. All the recipes are tempting. I get crab at my local Costco. It might be a regional specialty food,for them. I live in San Diego and they are always having seafood road shows.
    Mimi

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  22. Mmm, crab heaven! I don't even remember those rolls from Tyler - I miss cooking him up!

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  23. Both of these look great, Kim, but the fritters look to die for.

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  24. Great post; I look forward to following your blog. I'm in the same boat with my wife; it's almost impossible to get her to try new foods.

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