Scallop and Crab Cakes with Goat Cheese and Capers

Some things are just serendipitous, I think this was one of those times. This recipe was inspired a bit by something I saw on a menu while in Virginia Beach. My intention was to use lump crab meat and nothing else to make these. However, at the end of the day, I could not bring myself to pay $28/lb for the stuff. So I got to brainstorming and I thought of scallop pieces and could not have been happier with how it turned out. I served them topped with lemon aioli, but they were also perfect with nothing.

1 lb of scallop pieces (you can find them at a seafood market, if not chop up scallops)
½ lb crab
½ c. mayo
½ c. of panko bread crumbs
2 eggs
2 Tbs capers
3 oz. soft goats cheese


Mix all ingredients together and let set in the fridge for about an hour. Note, add just enough bread crumbs until the mixture starts to hold together a bit, you may not need all of them so add a bit at a time. It should feel thick, not runny. To form the cakes I used a half cup measure. I also broiled them as opposed to pan frying. My oven has the broiler in the oven not underneath, which allows me to but as much space as I need between the flame and the food. If you just have a bottom broiler, put them in a 400 oven for about 10-15 minutes and just finish off under the broiler. Cook until golden brown and set. It made 6 ½ c. cakes.

Tuna and Fennel with a Lemon Dill Aioli and an Embarrassing Story

Every once in a while we all have to chuckle at ourselves. Hopefully that chuckle can be followed with a bit of relief at how far we have come. I used to not like sushi. I think in retrospect, the first several trys I had at it, just also turned out to be bad sushi. When we went to dinner with friends, who unwittingly, ordered a ton of sushi for us to share…I had little choice but to eat it. I waited anxiously for the sushi to come, not knowing how I would make my way through (the last sushi I had had, I couldn’t force myself to swallow…literally). Luckily for me (and several sushi restaurants near me), it turns out I love sushi if is good and now there is not a week that goes by I don’t indulge in some.

Prior to realizing raw fish could be good ,I went out to eat with a young chap I would later marry. He took me to a lovely restaurant in his town. We each got a salad and decided to split an entrée. It was a thia tuna dish. The waitress brings it out and we dig into the tuna, and it was rare!! Egad. We immediately called the waitress over and explained the obvious issue. God love her, with out bursting out laughing, she carried that beautiful piece of tuna back to the chef and had that man cook it within an inch of its life. Honestly, I just simply did not know you could eat tuna rare. I still like mine medium rare and not full on rare, but now a well done tuna steak, in my mind is ruined. It is dry and heavy. So to that chef and that piece of tuna who sadly gave its life to have me desecrate it… my humblest apologies. I hope this recipe offers some solace.

Fennel topping
1 fennel bulb sliced (tops removed)
½ large Vidalia sliced
1 tbs olive oil
Salt and Pepper

Fish
4 tuna steaks
1 tbs olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
lemon

Aioli
2 tsp mustard
1 tbs lemon juice
2 tsp dill
1 tsp caper

Make the aioli, by combining mustard, lemon juice, dill and capers. Mix well and set aside.

In skillet heat 1 tablespoon of oil to medium high. Add fennel and onion and sauté for 1 minute reduce heat to medium low and sauté for another 10 minutes until nice and brown.



Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon of oil in skillet over high heat. Add tuna and sear for 30 second on each side. Reduce heat to medium. I personally like my tuna medium rare, so I cooked it and additional 2 minutes on one side and 1 minute on the other and let it rest, but it was a pretty thick steak. Unless you like it very well done, it is always better to pull it off early and put it back if need be than overcook it. Once you pull fish off squeeze lemon over.

Top tuna with a heaping spoon of fennel and onion and then top with a healthy spoonful of aioli.

Shrimp and Feta

Okay… eventually I did have to stop drinking and start cooking again! Tonight we are having filets form Bon Air butcher. I am excited!!!! Keep you posted.

6 plum tomatoes
1 Tbs minced garlic
¼ onion chopped
1 Tbs chopped oregano
1 C. white wine
Salt and pepper
1 lb shrimp
½ c. feta
½ lemon
Add the first 6 ingredients to pan and simmer for 10 minutes. Meanwhile heat oven to 400. Put ½ the sauce in the bottom of a small baking dish. Add shrimp and feta, and cover with remainder of sauce. Cook for 10 minutes or until shrimp are pink. Remove from oven and squeeze lemon over. Serve.
You can serve this over rice or pasta for a meal or with bread as an appetizer.

Pasta Ceviche

Okay this really isn’t ceviche... at all, but it was the best way I could describe the flavor of the dish. I used crab and scallop pieces but shrimp and a whitefish would be really good too. I have to confess this was ENTIRELY my husband idea, I just was the short order cook here. It was soooo wonderfully good. Just a hint of spice, sweet from the seafood, and a little tart from the lime. Whooo-hoo!! Now you know one little reason I love my husband so much!!

¼ red onion
2 TBS butter
1 TBS olive oil
1 c. white wine
1 red bell pepper minced
1 TBS garlic
½ lb crab
½ lb scallop
1 c. cilantro leaves
1 lime
Salt/ pepper and a pinch of red pepper

Melt butter and oil and add onion. Sautee for 3 minutes wine. Cook until reduced until about half. Add peepers and let cook 2 minutes. Meanwhile boil pasta. When pasta is done, but before your drain, add one ladle of the starchy water to the sauce mixtures (Thank you Follow The Cook http://followthecook.blogspot.com/ !!). After you add pasta water, add garlic, crab scallop and salt and pepper. Cook for about 3-4 just until scallops are done. Remove entirely from heat. Squeeze the juice of one lime into the sauce. Plate pasta and top with fresh cilantro and…EJOY!!

The Worlds Best Crab Cakes

This is not something I made up, but we had them last night and honestly, there is no better. I have to tell you nothing irritates me more than when someone takes some wonderful crab and messes it all up by putting a bunch of bread and stuff in so that then end product tastes more of mustard and bread than anything else. I get that crab is expensive and you want to stretch it, but on the flip side it is expensive and you want to enjoy it. So ditch the fillers and try this, with just enough to hold it together but not so much to mess up the wonderfulness of the crab. ***Also, for a crab cake there is no reason you can not use back fin crab as opposed to lump and save yourself some change. However pick through the crab first to make sure you get any bits of shell out.

2 slices of bread
½ c. milk
1 lb crab meat
1 tbs Worcestershire
1 tbs baking powder
1 tbs mayo
1egg
1 tsp old bay

Set bread in milk and let set for 10 minutes. Squeeze out excessmilk from bread, and toss milk. Place bread back in bowl and add all other ingredients and mix thoroughly. Form into patties and fry until golden on both sides.

Shrimp and Bean Paste

1 lb shrimp cleaned
2 c. broccoli chopped up
1 tbs green curry paste
2 tbs black bean paste
4 tbs fish sauce
1 tbs minced garlic
1 tbs olive oil
Rice
Mix, curry paste, bean paste and fish sauce add shrimp and mix. Set in fridge for about an hour. Heat oil and garlic in wok, add broccoli, and cover wok if you can. Cook 3-5 minutes on medium low, just until broccoli is not tough. Add shrimp and paste mixture. Cook 3-5 minutes until shrimp done. Serve over rice.

Imitation… Sincere Flattery?

Yes it is! Okay you guys know I loved the scallops at Delux, so I had to see if I could rip off their idea. It is not the same but pretty close, and so very very good!
1lb large scallops
¼ lb pancetta
2 shallots chopped fine
1 TBS olive oil
1TBS white Truffle oil
Salt and Pepper


To start, you can get truffle oil at Williams Sonoma or Sur la Table. Cut pancetta up into little pieces and place in skillet. After 1 minute throw in shallots. Cook until shallots are soft and set aside. Meanwhile seasons scallops and cook. Be careful not to overcook. Once scallops are done, drizzle some truffle oil on plate and place scallops in oil, drizzle with a little more (be careful a little goes a long way) and top with pancetta/shallot mixture. Enjoy! Nothing beats, an easy and delicious meal!