CRAB CAKES
1/2 c Olive oil
1/2 Red pepper,finely diced
1/2 Green pepper, finely diced
1 lb Best-quality lump crab meat
2 lg Eggs, beaten
1 1/2 c Coarse ground homemade
-bread crumbs
Salt, freshly ground pepper
-CILANTRO BUTTER SAUCE-
1 c Dry white wine
1 Shallot, minced
1 c Whipping cream
8 oz Unsalted butter, softened
1/2 c Chopped fresh cilantro
GARNISH
Chopped tomato
Cilantro sprigs
1. Heat 1/4 cup of the oil in a large skillet; cook red and green peppers
in the oil until tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from skillet with a slotted
spoon. Cool.
2. Mix crab meat, eggs, cooked peppers and 2 tablespoons of the bread
crumbs in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Using wet hands, shape
crab mixture into 8 equal-size cakes. Place on a wax paper-lined plate and
chill up to several hours.
3. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Coat crab cakes in bread crumbs on all sides.
Heat remaining 1/4 cup oil in a large, ovenproof skillet. Add crab cakes
in a single layer. Cook until nicely browned on bottom, about 2 minutes.
Carefully turn cakes over and then place in oven. Bake until golden on all
sides, 10 to 12 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, for sauce, boil wine with shallot in a medium non-reactive
saucepan until reduced to 1/3 cup. Stir in cream and boil until reduced by
about half. Working over very low heat, whisk in the butter, 1 tablespoon
at a time, until sauce is light and thick. Do not allow sauce to boil at
any time or it will separate. Strain sauce through a fine wire mesh
strainer into a warm bowl. Stir in cilantro, salt and pepper. Keep warm by
covering tightly with plastic wrap and then placing bowl in a pan of warm
water.
5. To serve, pour a few tablespoons of the sauce onto a warm serving plate.
Top with a crab cake. Garnish with chopped tomato and cilantro sprig. Serve
immediately.
Yields
8 Servings