Crabcake Sandwiches

Growing up in Maryland, there was usually always some version of a crabcake sandwich on most menus. Even if the sandwich was just a crabcake sandwiched between two Saltine crackers. Whenever we went out, I usually ended up ordering one. Now when I moved to Texas, I got so many great new foods...queso, brisket, fresh tortillas...but I lost my beloved crabcake sandwich. They just don't exist on restaurant menus down here. You may find a crabcake appetizer, but generally they are just not good. It is a shame, since Texas blue crab is acutally quite delicious. Luckily, I can make my own perfect version of the crabcake sandwich here at home. I prefer to fry the crabcake for a sandwich instead of broiling it since it holds up better on the sandwich that way. Now if I could only get my hands on some homegrown tomatoes in Texas. The ones in my mom's garden aren't doing so hot. Feel free to add lettuce to the sandwich, but I leave it off because it makes the sandwich too slippery to eat.

Crabcake Sandwiches

½ cup mayo
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon pickle relish
1 tablespoon capers, minced
1 teaspoon Sriracha

1 egg
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
2 teaspoons minced parsley
1 ½ teaspoons fresh lemon juice
Old Bay to taste (I use about 1 tablespoon)
½ pound crabmeat
½ cup crushed saltines
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

4 sandwich buns
1 large tomato, sliced

Make the tartar sauce by stirring together the mayonnaise, lemon juice, relish, capers and Sriracha. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Mix together the egg, mayonnaise, parsley, lemon juice and Old Bay. Add crab and crackers and stir gently to combine. Form into four patties and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Heat the oil in a saute pan over medium-high heat. Fry the crabcakes, about a minute or two per side until golden brown.

Serve on sandwich buns with sliced tomato and tartar sauce.

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Chocolate Zucchini Bread

My mother-in-law gave me two zucchinis from their garden at the ranch. One was your regular old zucchini, the other was at least four times the size of a regular zucchini. It was huge! I made zucchini fries with the regular one, but the giant zucchini was destined for something greater...or grater...chocolate zucchini bread. Miss F did all the work for the bread with the exception of grating the zucchini. She even helped pour the batter into the pans, she is really becoming quite the sous chef. This bread is moist, rich and delicious. Miss F gobbled it right up. I got the recipe from my favorite spice shop, Penzey's. I used their vanilla and cinnamon, which I am sure made all the difference in the world.

Chocolate Zucchini Bread

3 large eggs
2 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons butter
6 tablespoons cocoa powder
2 cups zucchini, grated
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 ½ teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease two 9x5 loaf pans. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, oil, and vanilla until well blended. In a small saucepan, melt the butter, stir in the cocoa powder until smooth. Set aside to cool. Peel and grate the zucchini. Add zucchini and cooled butter mixture to the large mixing bowl and blend well. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Add dry ingredients to the batter. Stir only enough to blend in all the dry ingredients. Stir in the chocolate chips. Spoon the batter into the loaf pans. Bake for 60 to 70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 5-10 minutes, then remove and cool on a wire rack.

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Creamy Shrimp Pasta

I have been wanting to make this dish for quite some time and never got around to it. After I made it, I was kicking myself for not making it sooner. It comes together quickly, is simple to prepare and tastes amazing. Miss F kept asking me to twirl more pasta for her while we Skyped with C over dinner. I think we are finally getting into the groove as far as having C in Aspen during the week. All the more seafood for me to cook, but we can still have family dinner thanks to Skype.  Major thanks to Sunny Side Up for the super fantastic recipe.

Creamy Shrimp Pasta

12 ounces linguine
½ cup frozen peas
1 tablespoon butter
¾ pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
5 teaspoons Old Bay, divided
1 ½ cups half-and-half
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

Cook pasta per package directions. During the last minute of cooking add the peas. Drain and reserve ¼ cup of the cooking liquid.

In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the shrimp and sprinkle with 2 teaspoons of Old Bay. Sauté for 3 minutes, until the shrimp turn pink. Reduce heat to medium-low. Stir in the half-and-half, reserved cooking liquid, Parmesan cheese and the rest of the Old Bay. Simmer for 5 minutes or until the sauce begins to thicken. Remove from heat and add the pasta and peas. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving (this gives the sauce a few more minutes to thicken) Serve with extra grated Parmesan cheese.

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