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Wine and Food: Recipes

Marcia’s Crab Cakes
My sister Marcia is a creative person and an excellent cook. Her crab cakes are a delicious appetizer or main course, depending on the size she makes.

Ingredients:
6 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup minced onion
2/3 cup finely chopped celery
3 eggs, well beaten
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 cups fresh bread crumbs
3 cups fresh Dungeness or Blue crab meat, flaked
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard, good quality
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley
salt and pepper to taste
flour and butter for frying
lemon or lime and several sprigs of cilantro, for garnish

Preparation:
1. Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a sauté pan. Add the onions and cook until they are translucent. Add the celery and cook for 2 or 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.

2. When cool, add the onions and celery to the beaten eggs. Stir in the cream and add 1 cup of the bread crumbs, the crab meat, mustard, lemon juice and parsley. Add salt and pepper to taste and chill for at least 2 hours.

3. If the crab mixture is too moist to be formed easily into cakes, add the remaining 1/2 cup of bread crumbs. Form into cakes and dust lightly on both sides with flour. Melt 3 tablespoons of butter until foamy in a heavy skillet. Sauté the cakes for about 4 minutes on each side. Serve immediately.

If you make the crab cakes bite-size, serve with a garlic aioli dipping sauce. If you make them about 3 inches across, serve over black beans. Garnish with lemon and/or lime and sprigs of cilantro.