Sunday Supper: Ad Hoc Crab Cakes & A Christmas For Two

Christmas was very untraditional this year. Not surprisingly, Mark had to work. I know we signed up for this in the early years of his career but that didn't make it any easier. Last week, we celebrated early Christmas with our families in Sacramento, so today was Christmas for two.

Our day started with Mark getting up at 4:30 to go to work while I rolled over and kept sleeping. :) We were happy to find out that it is so slow on Christmas (and CHP doesn't usually write tickets) that Mark was allowed to come home for a few hours. So around 8:00 he came home. I made a yummy savory bread pudding for breakfast and we opened our gifts. Mark went back to work then around noon I went up to his office and did a ride along for the last 5 hours of his shift. I was thankful to be able to do this so I could spend the day with him. It was exciting because we went to a hit and run where they ended up catching the suspect! I wish I could've taken pictures but I signed a paper saying I wouldn't :(

After we came home I made crab cakes for dinner. The recipe is from our favorite restaurant Ad Hoc. The recipe turned out great. I did substitute a few things so I didn't have to buy so much at the grocery store: for the Piment dEspelette Aioli I just mixed mayo with cayenne pepper. I didn't have old Bay Seasoning so I used Chinese All Spice. I also didn't make the vinaigrette but used extra mayo/cayenne for a dipping sauce. The cakes turned out absolutely delicious. The directions were spot on. The outside was crispy and the inside was creamy. Here is the recipe:

Ad Hoc Crab Cakes (Serves 6)


Ingredients:
1-1/2 teaspoons (1/4 oz.) unsalted butter
2 tablespoons finely diced onion
2 tablespoons finely diced red bell pepper
1 garlic clove
1-1/4 lb. lump and/or jumbo crabmeat
¼ cup Piment d’Espelette Aioli
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 teaspoon Old Bay season, or to taste
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2-1/2 cups panko crumbs
1 large egg
Canola oil
Piquillo Pepper Vinaigrette



Directions:
Position two oven racks in the lower and upper thirds of the oven and preheat the oven to 350-degrees.

Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat.  Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the onion and pepper.  Grate the garlic with a Microplane grater directly into the pan (or mince it and add it).  Cook, stirring often, until the onion and pepper are tender, about 5 minutes.  Remove from the heat and let cool completely.

Place the cleaned crabmeat in a fine mesh basket strainer and drain well.

In a large bowl, whisk the aioli with the Worcestershire, mustard, parsley, Old Bay, and lemon juice to combine well.  Stir in ½ cup of the panko crumbs and the onion mixture.  Gently fold in the crab.  Lightly whisk the egg in a small bowl, and gently fold it into the mixture.

Put the remaining 2 cups panko crumbs in a shallow bowl.  Divide the crab mixture into 12 equal portions.  One portion at a time, gently shape the mixture into a ball (the mixture is very delicate because there is only a small amount of panko in it), roll gently in the panko to coat, and shape into a slightly flattened ball about 2” in diameter and 1” thick.  Add a bit more panko as needed to coat, and set on a plate.

Heat some canola oil in each of two large ovenproof frying pans over medium heat until it shimmers.  If you don’t have two pans, cook the cakes in batches and transfer to a rack set over a baking sheet, then finish in the oven).  Add the cakes, pat down gently, still maintaining the rounded shape, and cook until golden brown on the first side, about 5 minutes.  With a spatula, gently turn each crab cake over and cook on the second side for another 5 minutes, or until golden brown.  Transfer the pans to the oven and cook for 2-3 minutes, to ensure that the crab cakes are hot throughout.

Line a small baking sheet with paper towels.  Transfer the crab cakes to the towels to briefly drain.  Arrange the crab cakes on a serving plate and serve the vinaigrette on the side.


I hope you had a Merry Christmas!


"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." Isaiah 9:6


~Hannah