November 11, 2011

Crabmeat St. Martin

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Crabmeat St. Martin

Crabmeat St. Martin

November 11: Feast Day of St. Martin of Tours and U.S. Veterans’ Day

What a coincidence that the feast day of St. Martin of Tours falls on Veterans’ Day in America. St. Martin, the patron saint of soldiers, once served in the military like his father, a veteran officer. This fourth-century soldier in the Roman army then became a soldier for Christ. St. Martin made it his mission to help spread the gospel and build the Church. A relic of his military cloak used to be carried into battle by succeeding kings; the military priests who cared for his cloak (cappa Sancti Martini) were called cappelani (translated in French as chapelains, from which the word chaplain is derived).  St. Martin is also the patron saint of the U.S. Army Quartermaster Corps.

For the feast day of St. Martin, we combined crabmeat with a creamy sauce to serve with crackers. It is also appropriate to serve ths appetizer at patriotic parties to honor our military members on Veterans’ Day.

Recipe

(Adapted from Cooking with the Saints by Ernst Scheugraf via Chef John Folse and Company)

Ingredients

  • 1 cup (8 ounces) crabmeat
  • ¼ cup (½ stick) butter
  • 2 tablespoons onions, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons celery, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons green onions, chopped
  • 1-2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tablespoon flour
  • 1 ½ cup heavy whipping cream, heated
  • 1 tablespoon white wine
  • ½ tablespoon lemon juice
  • dash Tabasco sauce
  • salt and cayenne pepper to taste
  • 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
  • 2 tablespoons red pepper, diced
  • 2 tablespoons parsley, chopped

Directions

In a saucepan, melt the butter on low heat. Saute the onions, celery, green onions and garlic until soft but not browned. Mix in the flour. Whisk in the hot cream until slightly thickened.

Crabmeat St. Martin

Let simmer before adding the white wine, lemon juice and Tabasco sauce. Season with salt and cayenne pepper. Stir in the Parmesan cheese.

Crabmeat St. Martin

Add the crabmeat, red pepper and parsley. Stir until well blended. Spoon into ramekins. Serve with crackers.

Crabmeat St. Martin

Notes

  • The island of St. Martin (St-Martin/St Maarten) in the Caribbean was named Isla de San Martín by Christopher Columbus who first sighted it on November 11, 1493.
  • Learn more about the history of Veterans’ Day from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
  • The Bible has many military metaphors. Soldiers for Christ are mentioned in the New Testament.
  • God bless all our American military men and women today, including Islander’s Daddy (U.S. Navy-Retired), Lisa L. (U.S. Navy-Reserves) and Lisa’s son, Darby F. (U.S. Air Force-Active Duty). Thank you to all our veterans for fighting for our freedoms!
 

September 25, 2011

Crab Newburg

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Crab Newburg

Crab Newburg

September 25: National Crab Meat Newburg Day

We love Lobster Newberg* so we cooked another one with crab! Crab Newburg* is just as rich and tasty but crab meat is a little less costly than lobster meat. While the latter is served in puff pastry shells, the recipe below states that the crab and sauce are served as toppings on toast. If you have a craving for crustacean canapés but want a more budget-friendly appetizer, make Crab Newburg. They are fabulous for social functions and on National Crab Meat Newburg Day.

Recipe

(Adapted from Scoma’s Restaurant)

Ingredients

  • 8 ounces cooked crab meat
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • ¼ cup onion, finely chopped
  • ½ cup mushrooms, sliced
  • 3 tablespoons flour
  • 1 ½ cups milk (we used Lactaid brand)
  • 2 tablespoons sherry
  • dash cayenne pepper
  • paprika
  • parsley flakes
  • toasted bread triangles or Melba toast

Directions

In a skillet, melt the butter. Saute the onions and mushrooms for about 10 minutes or until tender. Stir in the flour, then add the milk. Whisk constantly until thickened. Add the sherry and cayenne pepper. Cook until heated through.

Crab Newburg

Spread some crab meat on top of the toast. Spoon the sauce over the crab to heat the meat. Sprinkle with a little paprika and parsley flakes and serve immediately.

Crab Newburg

Notes

  • *We are not sure which spelling is correct: Newburg or Newberg. We have seen both referenced in print and online cookbooks.
  • National Crab Meat Newburg Day is observed exactly six months after National Lobster Newberg Day (March 25).
  • Instead of using pre-packaged Melba Toast for Crab Newburg, top it on a homemade version. See the recipe posted on National Melba Toast Day (March 23).
  • Search our blog for other recipes containing crab meat.
 

March 9, 2011

Crab Cakes

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Crab Cakes

Crab Cakes

March 9: National Crabmeat Day

Six weeks after our Hawaii wedding, Highlander had to go on a business trip to Maryland. Not wanting to leave his new bride in their one-bedroom Oklahoma apartment all alone, he decided to fly Islander up to join him for a long weekend. It was like a mini-honeymoon, because we did not have much time or money to go to Scotland until a year later (for our first anniversary/honeymoon). We enjoyed exploring Washington, D.C. and Baltimore, Maryland. At the Inner Harbor, we tasted some of the best seafood fresh from the Atlantic Ocean and Chesapeake Bay! We might not be able to recall now which museums and restaurants we went to exactly, but we remember that we were so stuffed with delicious Baltimore crab cakes that we just wanted to rest instead of continue with our sightseeing plans. As we reminisce about our first real newlywed trip together, we re-create a meaty Baltimore crab cake recipe for our blog for National Crabmeat Day.

Recipe

(Adapted from Crab Cake Recipes)

Ingredients

  • 1 cup real crabmeat, flaked and drained
  • ½ cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs), divided use
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten
  • 2 tablespoons green onions, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons parsley, minced
  • 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
  • ½ teaspoon green pepper sauce (see Notes)
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • 1/8 teaspoons sea salt
  • fresh ground black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons oil
  • 1 tablespoon butter

Directions

In a large bowl, mix the crabmeat with two tablespoons of panko, egg, green onions, parsley, mayonnaise, pepper sauce, lemon juice, salt and pepper.

Crab Cakes

Shape into patties. Coat in remaining panko. Refrigerate for at least an hour to set. Heat the oil and butter in a skillet. Fry the crab cakes until each side is golden brown (about 3-4 minutes per side). Drain on paper towels. Serve hot with sliced lemons (optional).

Crab Cakes

Notes

  • We did not have green pepper sauce in our pantry. So we added tabasco sauce instead.
  • Crab cakes make an excellent Lent dish.