Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 2 (12 page)

2 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 tablespoons minced green onion
(green part only)
2 tablespoons minced red bell
pepper
½ beaten egg
1 teaspoon minced fresh parsley
1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
½ teaspoon yellow prepared
mustard
½ pound lump crab meat
3 tablespoons plain breadcrumbs
(such as Progresso)
¼ cup panko (Japanese
breadcrumbs)
vegetable oil

REMOULADE SAUCE

½ cup mayonnaise
2
teaspoons capers
2
teaspoons chopped dill pickle
slices (hamburger pickles)
1 teaspoon lemon juice
½ teaspoon minced fresh parsley
½ teaspoon
paprika
½ teaspoon chili powder
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
¼ teaspoon ground cumin
⅛ teaspoon salt

1. Measure all the ingredients for the crab cakes—except the breadcrumbs, crab, panko and vegetable oil—into a large bowl. Use a whisk to blend ingredients together. Carefully fold the crab and breadcrumbs into the whisked ingredients. Be sure not to over stir the mixture or those tasty lumps of crab will fall apart. The best crab cakes have nice big chunks of crab in ’em.

2. Rub a light coating of oil in six cups of a nonstick standard size muffin tin, then use your hands or a spoon to fill the cups with equal amounts of the crab mixture. Press down a bit on each crab cake so that the top is flat. Don’t press too hard or the crab cakes may be hard to get out. Cover the muffin tin with plastic wrap and pop it in the fridge for an hour or so. This step will help the cakes stay together when they’re browned in the oil.

3. Make the remoulade sauce by combining all the ingredients in a small bowl. Cover and chill the sauce until you’re ready to serve up the crab cakes.

4. After the crab cakes have chilled through, heat up about ¼-inch of vegetable oil in large skillet over medium/low heat. Fill a shallow bowl with the panko breadcrumbs.

5. Carefully turn the crab cakes out onto a plate. Gently roll each crab cake around in the panko breadcrumbs. Each crab cake should be wearing a light coating of panko.

6. Test the oil by dropping a pinch of panko into the pan. It should sizzle, Saute the crab cakes in the hot oil for I ½ to 3 minutes on each side or until the cakes are golden brown.

7. Drain crab cakes on paper towels or a rack very briefly, then serve them up hot with the remoulade sauce alongside in a little dish.

SALSA VERDE

2 tomatillos, chopped (remove
popery skin)
1
4-ounce can mild green
chilies
1 green onion, chopped
2
tablespoons fresh cilantro
1¼ teaspoons granulated
sugar
¼ teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon ground
black pepper

TOMATO SALSA

I medium tomato, diced
I tablespoon minced Spanish
onion
1 tablespoon minced, fresh
cilantro
¼ teaspoon lime juice
½ small fresh jalapeno, minced
dash salt
dash ground black pepper

SOUTHWESTERN SAUCE

½ cup mayonnaise
I teaspoon white vinegar
I teaspoon water
¾
teaspoon granulated sugar
½ teaspoon chili powder
¼ teaspoon paprika
⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
⅛ teaspoon onion powder
dash salt
dash garlic powder

CAKES

1 ½ cups frozen sweet corn
½
cup butter, softened (I stick)
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
⅛ teaspoon
salt
½ cup masa harina (corn flour)
2
tablespoons all-purpose flour

GARNISH

¼ cup sour cream
½ avocado, chopped
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped,
fresh cilantro

1. Prepare salsa verde by combining all ingredients (tomatillos, green chilies, green onion, cilantro, sugar, cumin, salt, and pepper) in a food processor on high speed. Cover and chill.

2. Prepare tomato salsa by combining all ingredients (diced tomato, onion, cilantro, lime juice, jalapeno, salt, and pepper) in a small bowl. Cover and chill.

3. Prepare Southwestern sauce by combining all ingredients (mayonnaise, vinegar, water, sugar, chili powder, paprika, cayenne, onion powder, salt, and garlic powder) in a small bowl. Cover and chill.

4. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

5. Prepare the tamale cakes by chopping 1 cup of the frozen corn in a food processor until it’s coarsely pureed. Combine pureed corn with softened butter, sugar, and salt. Blend well with electric mixer until smooth.

6. Add masa and flour and blend well. Mix in the remaining ½ cup of frozen corn kernels by hand.

7. Measure ½ cup portions of the mixture and form it into 3-inch wide patties with your hands. Arrange the patties on a baking sheet and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the cakes are browned on the bottom. Carefully flip all cakes with a spatula and bake for an additional 5 to 7 minutes or until other side is browned.

8. While the cakes are baking, spoon a portion of the salsa verde onto a plate or platter (you may want to heat up your plate in the oven for a bit to help warm the sauce). You’ll need to use enough salsa verde to coat the entire plate—it should be about ¼-inch deep. Arrange the tamale cakes side-by-side on the salsa verde. Spoon a dollop of sour cream onto each tamale cake. Drizzle the Southwestern sauce over the cakes in a criss-cross pattern (use a squirt bottle if you’ve got one—see Tidbits). Spoon some tomato salsa over the cakes, followed by the chopped avocado. Finish off the plate by sprinkling the coarsely chopped cilantro leaves over the top.