Fresh crab a must for best cakes, soup

So, have you had your fill of fresh crab yet? Didn’t think so.

How could you when the season got off to such a late start? We missed it through November and December when it’s traditionally a part of our holiday celebration.

Then it finally became reliably available in late January and we’ve been playing catch-up ever since. Which in the Roberts-Dominguez household means nothing fancier – or more fabulous – than plain ol’ crab feeds. Pure, unadulterated, fresh-from-the-pot Dungeness crab.

Well, now that the frenzy phase is behind us, I’m ready to contemplate some alternatives. Like crab soups, crab salads, and crisp, tantalizing crab cakes.

What hasn’t changed is the essential ingredient: the Dungeness crab. For these recipes you definitely want to use fresh-cooked crab. Meaning, it started out fresh, alive and lively on the day you plan to use it.

I’m offering two different crab cakes for you to try and a delicious soup. But first, consider a simple twist on whole crab, which is a roasting with garlic butter, as done down in the Napa Valley at one of my favorite restaurants. Tra Vigne in St. Helena, Calif., is owned and operated by Food Network chef Michael Chiarello.

Make sure you use very fresh Dungeness crabs, which means either boiling live crabs in your own kitchen, or obtaining fresh-cooked crabs from a reliable source where they can assure you they were cooked and cleaned on the very same day you are buying them.

1/2cup mayonnaise

1/4cup fresh lemon juice

1teaspoon chili powder

4fresh-cooked and cleaned, cracked Dungeness crabs (about 5 pounds total)

6tablespoons butter

1/3cup extra-virgin olive oil

3tablespoons finely minced fresh garlic

1/4cup minced Italian parsley

Stir together the mayonnaise, lemon juice and chili powder; set aside (refrigerate if holding longer than 30 minutes.

In a 12-by-17-inch roasting pan, combine the butter, oil, and garlic. Heat the mixture in a 500-degree oven just until hot, about 2 minutes. Add cracked crab pieces; stir to coat all pieces. Return the pan to the oven and roast just until the garlic is golden and the crab is hot, about 10 minutes.

Sprinkle minced parsley and a squeeze of lemon juice over hot crab and pan juices; stir to coat all pieces.

Spoon the crab pieces and pan juices onto a large platter for family-style dining, or arrange pieces of 1 crab on each of 4 dinner plates. Garnish serving with parsley sprigs and lemon wedges. Serve immediately with the seasoned mayonnaise and warm, crusty French bread.

Recipe from Sunset – Recipe Annual, 1997 Edition, by the editors of Sunset Magazine and Sunset Books

1/3cup finely minced yellow onion

1tablespoon butter

1/2cup soft bread crumbs

2tablespoons heavy cream

2eggs

3tablespoons minced parsley

2tablespoons minced green onion

1teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/2teaspoon salt

2teaspoons Green Tabasco sauce

Dash cayenne pepper

1pound fresh Dungeness crab meat, picked over for bits of shell

1cup dry bread crumbs

Saute the onion in the butter in a saute pan until softened, about 3 minutes; set aside. Meanwhile, soak the soft bread crumbs in the cream. In a bowl, lightly beat the eggs until frothy. Add the softened bread crumb mixture. Stir in the sauteed onions and butter, along with the parsley, chives, mustard, Tabasco, cayenne and salt and mix well. Fold in the crab meat. Shape into 8 cakes, each one about 3/4-inch thick. Dust each crab cake on both sides with the dry bread crumbs; chill until ready to cook.

When ready to serve, fry the crab cakes in hot vegetable oil in a skillet over medium heat until golden brown on both sides. Serve immediately.

Makes 4 to 8 servings.

A New Orleans classic that’s been around since the late 1800s, Commander’s Palace is in the Garden District. Closed at the moment because of Hurricane Katrina damage, it hopes to reopen in the spring or summer.

1pound fresh-cooked Dungeness crab meat, picked over for bits of shell

2/3cup good-quality mayonnaise

Several dashes Tabasco sauce

About 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2cup chopped red onion

1/2cup red bell pepper, chopped

1/3cup Creole mustard (or other course-ground mustard)

2teaspoons capers, drained and coarsely chopped

1/2hard-cooked egg, coarsely chopped

1teaspoon prepared horseradish

Salt and additional freshly ground black pepper to taste

1teaspoon Creole seasoning mix (available in spice section of most supermarkets)

2tablespoons butter

Corn accompaniment:

2tablespoons butter

3cups corn kernels (see note below)

2jalapeno peppers, seeds and membranes removed, finely chopped

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1tablespoon minced fresh thyme

Optional garnishes: 1 green onion, finely chopped; fresh thyme sprigs

To prepare the crab cakes, place the crab meat in a bowl, breaking it up as little as possible. In a separate bowl, combine the mayonnaise with the Tabasco and 1/8 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper. Stir in the onion, bell pepper, mustard, capers, egg, horseradish, salt, additional black pepper and Creole seasoning. Scrape the mayonnaise mixture into the bowl with the crab and gently fold the mixture together to combine, taking care not to break up the crabmeat if possible.

Divide the crab mixture into 8 portions and shape each one into a somewhat round shape, measuring about 21/2 inches in diameter (an easy way to do this is to place a round metal ring or cookie cutter on a plate and place the crab mixture inside of it, pressing down to shape; repeat with each portion.

Preheat a nonstick pan or a seasoned cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon of the butter, but don’t let it smoke. Using your finger and a small spatula, gently place four of the cakes into the skillet. Cook the crab cakes for 1 1/2 minutes, or until golden brown. Turn them over and cook for another 1 1/2 minutes or until golden brown. Using the spatula, move the cakes to a sheet pan and place in a warm oven. Repeat until the entire mixture is used. About halfway through, discard the butter and wipe out the pan with a paper towel and use the second tablespoon of butter.

While the crab cakes are cooking, prepare the corn accompaniment (it could also be prepared ahead and gently reheated) melt 1/2 tablespoons of the butter in a skillet. Add the corn and jalapeno into the pan and saute, stirring constantly, seasoning with salt and pepper. When the corn is heated through and tender, about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes, stir in the remaining 1 1/2 of butter and the minced thyme. Cook until the butter has melted; season to taste.

Serve one crab cake per person for an appetizer portion, two for an entree. Spoon some of the corn mixture over the top of each cake, sprinkle with the green onions and thyme garnish, if desired.

Note on corn kernels: During winter and spring, use a good quality frozen white corn (try to find the bags that indicate the corn is “IQF,” meaning individually quick frozen; avoid the boxed corn); when corn is in season locally, use freshly shucked corn kernels from about 6 ears.

Recipe adapted from “Commander’s Kitchen,” by Ti Adelaide Martin and Jamie Shannon

3/4cup butter

2cups minced yellow onion

1medium carrot, minced

1/2cup minced celery

1tablespoon flour

1tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

1teaspoon seafood seasoning (check your local fish counter)

1/4teaspoon celery salt

1/8teaspoon white pepper

2cups whole milk

2cups half &half

1/4cup Madeira or dry sherry

1/2pound fresh Dungeness crab meat, picked over for bits of shell

Salt and additional white pepper to taste

Melt the butter in medium-size saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrot and celery and saute until soft. Reduce heat to medium and add the flour, whisking constantly until smooth. Cook for 5 minutes over medium heat, whisking frequently to keep the flour from scorching. Stir in the parsley and seasonings, then gradually whisk in the milk and half &half, stirring constantly. Add the Madeira, crab meat and salt to taste, and simmer gently for about 15 minutes; do not boil. Serve hot. If bisque seems thicker than desired, stir in half &half or milk to thin.

Adapted from “Cooking with Bon Appetit; Soups and Salads,” by the Editors of Bon Appetit

Jan Roberts-Dominguez is a Corvallis, Ore., food writer, cookbook author and artist. Readers can contact her by e-mail at janrd@proaxis.com.