Crab Cakes

Every time we are at a restaurant my daughter would order crab cakes if its on the menu.  So I had to learn how to make them quick ;) Last night we went to a restaurant and it costed $15.95 for 1 crab cake!!!  So today I ran to my local grocery store and picked up a container of fresh lump crab meat...they can run from $24.00-$35.00 a pound depending if you are buying Jumbo LUMP meat or just the backfin meat (which is the crab body meat that is smaller pieces of meat). The JUMBO LUMP meat is very high because the meat is a BIG LUMP of crab meat...and each crab only has 2 JUMBO LUMP in them.  


INGREDIENTS: 
1 lb lump crab meat 
1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs 
1 egg beaten
1/4 cup mayonnaise 
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
2 green onion stalk (green part only--finely chopped) 
1 tablespoon chopped FRESH PARSLEY
1 teaspoon Tony Creole Seasoning 
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 red bell pepper--finely chopped
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon black pepper 
1/4  teaspoon HOT SAUCE (OPTIONAL) 

****1 tablespoon BUTTER--cut into little cube

Grease a baking pan with a little PAM....set aside 

DIRECTION: 
In a mixing bowl add your breadcrumb, beaten egg, mayonnaise, chopped green onions, chopped parsley, Tony, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, bell pepper, garlic powder, and pepper...MIX REALLY WELL. Next FOLD in your lump crab meat...DON'T OVER mix because you don't want the crab meat to be too broken up....after you fold in the crab meat...gently SHAPE the crab meat mixture into round shape.  I got about 7 crab cakes with mines. Place them on the prepared baking sheet and add a pat of butter on the top of each crab cake to get that nice golden brown color. Next, put in the refrigerator for at least 1 hr before baking them.  Take out of the refrigerator and bake at 350 for 30 minutes. 

***Remember to PREHEAT oven to 350 and bake for 30 minutes then broil for a few second so the top will get a nice brown caramelize color. You don't want to over bake because the crab cake will become dry. SERVE immediately!!!

***You can also heat some oil in a skillet and fry these crab cakes for about 6-8 minutes. Remember to flip half way through so both side will get cooked ;) 

I love to make a CRAB CAKE sandwich ...add some lettuce and MAYO ;) 

TGIF...Crab Ragoon

Crab Ragoon...is a great appertizer for small or large crowds. 

Idea for a quick appertizer. 

Crab Ragoon

This past weekend we went to an Asian restaurant for lunch and my son had some crab ragoons. Ever since then  he been requesting for me to make him some. My sister makes them all the time but they used the real crab meats...my kids LOVE imitation crab meats so these are perfect for them.


Ingredients: 
1 package wonton wrap--these are 50 wrap(I got mines from Walmart--in the vegetable refrigerator section)

1 package CREAM Cheese
1 Cup imitation crab meat--finely chopped
1/2 Cup minced ONION--I used a food processor
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 Tablespoon SUGAR
1 Tablespoon finely chopped green onion (only green part)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper


Egg wash Mixture: 
1 egg
1 tablespoon water

***Using a food processor...finely chopped the onions. I wanted the onion to be really fine because the filling is so little in each crab ragoon and I didn't want chucks of onion in the filling. That is why I finely chopped the imitation crab meat also.

Mix all the ingredients together except the wonton wrap in bowl. Mix really well to get the filling creamy and all the seasoning nicely incorporated.

Taking each wonton wrap and dipping all 4 sides in the egg wash.... scoop 1/2 teaspoon of the filling into the middle of the wonton wrap. Folding the wonton wrap the way you are comfortable with. My son likes the "triangle" fold because their is more filling  then the "star" fold.

Taking a deep shallow pot fill it with vegetable oil and fry the wonton until its a golden brown color. Keep an eye on it because it fries really fast.

Lay the FRIED crab ragoon onto a PAPER TOWEL to catch all the excess oil.



 ENJOY!!!

I used a little food processor to grind/chop my onions.

                                       Filling mixture

Dip all 4 sides in the egg wash mixture....then add 1/2 teaspoon of filling to center 

of wonton wrap. 

Wonton all wrap and ready to fry. The "star" fold.

Deep Frying...once its golden brown, it is ready. All the filling is already cooked. 

                           Dipping sauce--optional. 

The "triangle" fold.

You can fold the wonton this way also...its easier but it does take more filling. 

They sale this brand at my local grocery store. This package is perfect amount for 1 pack of cream cheese and 1 package of wonton wrap. All you need to do is minced these really fine. 

Spicy Corn Dip

During the Holidays I love to try different appetizers ...especially since we attend so many get togethers and parties. I usually like to bring a dish and I find that bringing an appetizer or dessert is usually the best dish to bring. 

I got this appertizer dip from "The Chic Site" I did tweak it a little according to my taste. 

Spicy Corn Dip 

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons butter

1 yellow onion, finely chopped

5 garlic cloves, minced

1 large red bell pepper, chopped

4 cups corn (frozen) 

2 cups medium cheddar cheese, shredded

3 cups pepper jack cheese, shredded

2 cups cream cheese, softened

1 1/2 cups mayo

1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

1 cup scallions, chopped

2 tablespoons chipotle in adobe puree

2 tablespoons hot sauce, or more if you like it super spicy

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions: 

Preheat oven to 350° F.

Heat a LARGE skillet over medium heat. Add butter and sauté the onions, garlic, red bell pepper, and corn until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the cream cheese until combined.

Mix the remaining ingredients in a large bowl with the cilantro, green onion (scallion)  and cream cheese/corn mixture. I left about a cup of cheese to sprinkle over the top and added a few pat if butter just so it can get a nice brown cheesy top. 

Taste and adjust seasonings accordingly. Pour the dip into an oven-safe baking dish. Bake for about 30-45 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the edges are bubbling.

Serve hot out of the oven with TORILLA chips!! 

 Enjoy!

Before going into over and sprinkle with extra cheese on top..