Our Seasonal selection: Dungeness Crab

Dungeness Crab & Bay Shrimp Cakes

Yield: 12 cakes, 6 servings

3/4 pounds Dungeness crab meat 3 tablespoons chopped celery 3 tablespoons mayonnaise Pinch cayenne pepper 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard, smooth Pinch of salt Pinch of Old Bay seasoning 3 ounces freshly squeezed lemon juice Lemon wedges, for garnish Tartar sauce

3/4 pounds bay shrimp 3 tablespoons chopped onion 1 egg, beaten Pinch dry mustard 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce Pinch of pepper 1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs Vegetable oil, for frying Fresh parsley sprigs, for garnish

INSTRUCTIONS

• Make sure the crab and bay shrimp are both well drained and dry. If necessary, squeeze them slightly to extract the excess water.
• Grind the celery and the onion in a food processor.
• Place the ground celery and onions in a large bowl and add the shrimp, mayonnaise, eggs, cayenne, dry mustard, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, and Old Bay seasoning.
• Add in three-quarters of the Panko bread crumbs and blend.
• Fold in the crab. Do not over-mix. Form into 4-ounce patties.
• Place on a sheet pan or cookie sheet and sprinkle with the remaining Panko. Let the cakes refrigerate for at least an hour, but no more than 2 to 3 hours.
• These cakes can be deep-fried, pan-fried, or lightly drizzled with oil and baked in a 400°F oven.
• Serve with tartar sauce and garnish with lemon and parsley.
• If deep frying, fry until cakes are a deep golden brown; if pan frying, fry 3 to 4 minutes per side, until the cakes are a deep golden brown.

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Shrimp & Crab Louis Salad

Yield: 1 serving

For each salad:

• 1/2 head shredded iceberg lettuce
• 4 ounces Thousand Island Dressing
• 6 slices cucumber
• 6 black olives, pitted
• 4 tomato wedges
• 2 hard-boiled eggs, halved
• 4 1/2 ounces bay shrimp
• 1 1/2 ounces Dungeness or Lump blue crab
• 1 ounce Thousand Island dressing
• 1 lemon wedge, for garnish
• 2 sprigs parsley, for garnish

INSTRUCTIONS

• Pile the lettuce in the center of a serving plate.
• Arrange the cucumber slices, olives, eggs, and tomato wedges around the lettuce.
• Ladle 4 ounces of dressing over the lettuce.
• Arrange the shrimp and/or crab on top of the salad.
• Ladle 1 ounce of dressing on the seafood.
• Garnish with parsley and a lemon wedge.

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Tortelloni with Crab & Gorgonzola

Yield: 2 servings

• 1/2 pound dry or 1 pound fresh tortelloni, cheese filled,
  precooked, rinsed, and drained
• 8 ounces Dungeness crab meat
• 6 ounces Gorgonzola cheese
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 teaspoons minced shallots
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 1/2 cup cream
• Salt and pepper
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

INSTRUCTIONS

• Pick over the crab meat to remove any lingering shell fragments.
• Set aside 1/3 of the crab for a garnish.
• Crumble the cheese.
• Sauté the shallots in butter over low heat until softened.
• Add wine and cream and heat to a boil.
• Add crumbled cheese and the rest of the crab.
• Reduce the sauce over high heat for 1 minute.
• Add the tortelloni and continue cooking over high heat for another 2 minutes.
• Season with salt and pepper and transfer to dinner plates.
• Garnish the tortelloni with reserved crab and sprinkle with chopped parsley.

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Crab Tater Tots

Yield: 80 to 100 tots—approximately 10 servings

• 1 pound cream cheese
• 3 tablespoons minced garlic
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/4 cup chopped green onion
• 1 tablespoon Chipotle pepper purée
• 1/4 cup cream
• 1 cup shredded mild cheddar cheese
• 1/2 tablespoon Tabasco sauce
• 1 pound crab meat
• 1 pound bay shrimp
• 3 pounds shredded, frozen hash-brown potatoes
• 3 cups Panko bread crumbs

INSTRUCTIONS

• Allow the cream cheese to soften at room temperature for about an hour before making the tots.
• Blend the cream cheese with an electric mixer until smooth.
• Fold in the remaining ingredients and blend thoroughly.
• To form the tots, pinch off a generous tablespoon of the mixture and roll into a ball.
• Mold into a “tater tot” shape by gently squeezing the sides of the ball to form the traditional cylindrical shape.
• These are best deep-fried, but they can be drizzled with oil and baked at 400°F for 10 to 12 minutes.
• Whichever cooking method you use, the tots must be very cold before cooking, so refrigerate them for at least 1 to 2 hours. (They can even be frozen. Allow them to thaw, refrigerated for 1 to 2 hours.)