FOOD & BEVERAGE

Featured Recipe

Moses Cruz

Golf Club of Houston Crab Cake

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 red bell pepper, cut into 1/4-inch dice

1 yellow bell pepper, cut into 1/4-inch dice

6 slices firm white sandwich bread, crusts discarded

1 pound jumbo lump crab meat, 1/4 cup fresh coriander leaves, washed well, spun dry, and chopped

1/4 cup mayonnaise

2 tablespoons Old Bay seasoning

1 jalapeño chili, or to taste, seeded and chopped fine (wear rubber gloves)

1 tablespoon minced garlic freshly ground black pepper to taste

Accompaniments: chili mayonnaise or mayonnaise flavored with mustard or horseradish

Steps:

In a skillet heat 1 tablespoon oil over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking and sauté bell peppers until softened Cool peppers In a food processor grind bread into fine crumbs

In a bowl stir together bell peppers, crab, coriander, mayonnaise, Old Bay seasoning, jalapeño, garlic, 2 tablespoons breadcrumbs, black pepper, and salt to taste until combined well and chill 20 minutes

With a 2-ounce ice-cream scoop or 1/4-cup measure, scoop crab mixture into 8 portions and pat each into 3/4-inch-thick disk Spread remaining breadcrumbs on a sheet of wax paper and gently press each crab cake into them, turning it, to coat evenly To help prevent crumbling during cooking chill crab cakes, covered loosely, at least 1 hour and up to 1 day

Preheat

oven to 375°F

In a 12-inch skillet heat 1 tablespoon oil over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking and sauté half of crab cakes until golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes Turn crab cakes carefully and brown other sides

Transfer sautéed crab cakes carefully to a baking sheet Add remaining tablespoon oil to skillet and sauté remaining crab cakes in same manner On baking sheet bake all crab cakes 6 minutes, or until heated through