Regional Recipes for Winter
Chesapeake Crab Cakes, Broiled
Serves 6 to 8
Ingredients
1/2 c mayonnaise
1/4 c sour cream
juice of half of a lemon, or more to taste
1 T hot sauce, or more to taste
1 T crab cake seasoning
2 T fresh parsley, minced
16 crackers, finely crushed
1 pound lump crab meat
Directions
In a mixing bowl, blend together first seven ingredients until well mixed. Add crabmeat and gently toss. Shape 6 large- or 8 medium-sized crab cakes.
If time permits, refrigerate for four hours or overnight (as crab cakes will hold together better during broiling and serving). If time does not permit, proceed to broiling, but be very gentle when transferring from broiling pan to serving dish.
Preheat broiler. Place crab cakes on a heavy baking sheet. Depending on oven temperature, broil for eight to ten minutes without flipping, until golden brown. Enjoy!
Flipping Optional
Turning the crab cakes half-way through broiling creates a firmer, less moist crab cake. In this case, it is important to refrigerate the shaped crab cakes overnight before broiling. This prevents them from losing shape as they are flipped.
Grilled Citrusy Sweet Salmon
Serves 8
Ingredients
1 c soy sauce
4 T brown sugar
Juice of one lime (substitute any citrus juice)
2 T rice wine vinegar
2 T kosher salt
8 salmon filets
Directions
Mix first five ingredients to make a marinade. Place salmon in glass dish and marinade for two to eight hours, with four hours being optimal.
Remove salmon from marinade, reserving marinade for later use. Preheat grill to medium-high heat. Heat reserved marinade in microwave for two minutes or on stovetop until bubbly.
Grill salmon for two minutes on one side, and then gently flip. Brush flipped salmon with reserved marinade. Grill for another two minutes. Remove from heat and brush again with reserved, well-heated marinade. (Note: if grill heat is not high enough, you may need to grill salmon for an additional minute after flipping.) Enjoy!
Grilling Tidbit
Before lighting the grill, be sure to spray grill racks with cooking spray to prevent fish from sticking.
Oysters on the Half Shell with Mignonette Sauce
Ingredients
½ c red wine vinegar
2 T shallots, finely minced
½ t freshly ground pepper
Pinch of kosher salt
2 T diced tomatoes, optional
One dozen oysters in the shell
Directions:
To make the mignonette sauce, whisk together first five ingredients in a glass bowl. Cover and allow to stand at room temperature for at least two hours or refrigerate overnight.
Shuck oysters by holding them cup-side down with the hinge of the oyster facing toward you. Insert oyster knife into the hinge, twisting to pop it open. Slide the knife to sever the top and bottom muscles of the oyster. Keep the oyster level to retain oyster liquor.
Serve oysters on an oyster dish or on a platter lined with rock salt. Garnish each oyster with one or two teaspoons of mignonette sauce. Place a small bowl of reserved mignonette sauce with a small spoon in center of oyster platter for guests desiring additional sauce. Serve with crusty French bread.
Shucking Safety Tidbit
When shucking oysters, for safety purposes, always use a towel or glove to prevent your hand from slipping.