Make the Base:
1 c Soy oil
1/2 c Chopped onion, small dice
3/4 c Chopped peppers (red, green
-and yellow), s
3 Egg yolks
1/4 c Fresh lime juice
1/4 c Dijon mustard
1/2 tb Tabasco
1 tb Vietnamese fish sauce
1 lb Jumbo lump crabmeat,
-uncleaned
1 1/2 tb Each of fresh dill, chives
-and parsley, cleaned,
Stems
1 1/2 c Fresh bread crumbs (crusts
-removed)
1 c Japanese bread crumbs,
-(Panko)
1 tb Freshly ground white pepper
2 Eggs
Vegetable oil for sauting
Method: Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. In a sauce pan over medium
heat, place the oil, onions and peppers, and simmer until the
vegetables are tender, about 7 minutes. Combine the 3 egg yolks, lime
juice, mustard, Tabasco, fish sauce in a large bowl. Remove the oil
and vegetables from the heat. Slowly pour into the yolk mixture,
whisking constantly. Begin by pouring with small splashes,
incorporating the oil completely before adding more. The heat of the
oil will cook the yolks as you go, and you should end up with a
hollandaise-like sauce when all the oil has been blended. Return the
saucepan to the heat for 30 seconds, whisking constantly to insure
that sauce is fully incorporated. Set the saucepan down over a bowl
of ice and whisk to cook quickly. Refrigerate the sauce covered,
until it is well-chilled. Make the Chipotle Sauce: 2 chipotle peppers
in 1 tablespoon. adobo sauce 1 tablespoon chopped garlic 1 tablespoon
chopped shallots 1/2 cup of cilantro, washed and roughly chopped 1/2
cup seasoned rice vinegar 1 lemon, juiced 2 cups soy oil Process all
the ingredients, except for the soy oil. With the machine running,
add the oil in a slow stream until the sauce is emulsified. Taste.
Add more oil if necessary. Reserve. Make the crab cakes: Pick over
crab meat to remove any shell pieces. Add the herbs and gently toss,
taking care not to break up the crab. Add two or three heaping
tablespoons of the chilled sauce base to the crab and gently combine.
Add enough of the bread crumbs to bind the crab mixture. Check to see
that the mixture is moist (the bread crumbs will absorb moisture as
the crab mix sits) and add more sauce or bread crumbs as needed. Add
the white pepper and taste for seasoning. Form the crab into little
cakes, about 2 inches in diameter. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs.
One at a time, coat each crab cake with egg. Then coat with Japanese
bread crumbs. Heat 1/4 of vegetable oil in a large saute pan over
medium heat. SautJing in batches, brown the crab cakes on both sides
and reserve on a platter. Place in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for
2-3 minutes to heat through, and serve. Make the Nuoc Cham Sauce 2
small cloves garlic, peeled and chopped 1 Serrano chiles, seeded and
chopped 2 tablespoons sugar 1/4 cup rice vinegar 1 tablespoon lemon
juice 1 tablespoon lime juice 1/4 cup Vietnamese fish sauce 1/2 cup
soy oil 1/2 small red onion, peeled and thinly sliced 2 whole medium
carrots, peeled 1 large turnip, peeled and sliced into matchsticks
using a mandolin 1 gourmet cucumber, scored and split 3 tablespoons
fresh mint, chiffonade Cut the vegetables and make the salad . Blend
salad ingredients and toss in 1/2 cup of Nuoc Cham Sauce. To Serve:
Artfully arrange the salad at one end and two crabcakes at the other.
Drizzle the Chipotle sauce in between the two in a zig zag pattern.
Wine Suggestion: Sauvignon Blanc. Yield: 12 crabcakes, or 6 first
course servings.
Yields
6 Servings