THE BEST CRAB CAKES

....and homemade fries!






Crab cakes are: 1) delicious and 2) easy to make. Two things that make me like you and include you in our dinner rotation, if you're a food. I've gone through many a crab cake recipe and this is the best one, in my opinion. It helps to refrigerate the patties for an hour or so before cooking, but no biggie if you don't, just add some more crushed crackers to keep the patty together. Also, the quality of the crab meat is very important. In regards to the best combination of quality and price, I like Chicken of the Sea's crab meat, available at Trader Joe's. These cakes are also just as good the next day - I made crab cake burgers with avocado, red onion, coleslaw and tarter sauce on whole wheat kaiser rolls - delicious!

Also, my sister, Sharon, recently shared her recipe for homemade fries and I am happy to report they were a success. Making fries at home can be not fun if your fries turn out limp and sad, but I think the trick is to boil the potatoes a little beforehand, and then turn up your oven and tend to your fries as they get golden. Basically, you need to get friendly with your oven and know its tendencies. I'm going to try this with sweet potatoes and see how crispy I can get them orange sticks.


The Best Crab Cakes
(Adapted from Tastebook)

• 1 egg
• 3 tablespoons asian mayonnaise 
• 4 teaspoons lemon juice 
• 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes 
• 1 teaspoon old bay 
• 1 tablespoon minced green onions 
• 8 ounces crabmeat 
• 1/2 cup crushed buttery round crackers 
• 1 tablespoon butter 

 In a medium bowl, whisk together egg, mayonnaise, lemon juice, red pepper flakes, old bay, and scallions. Gently stir in crabmeat, being careful not to break up meat. Gradually mix in cracker crumbs, adding until desired consistency is achieved. Heat butter in a skillet over medium heat. Form crab mixture into patties. Place patties in skillet, and cook until golden brown, about 5 to 6 minutes on each side.


Easy Homemade Fries
(Recipe from Sharon)

• Russet or Idaho potatoes, sliced into desired stick-shapes
• salt
• pepper
• garlic powder
• chili powder 
• olive oil

Preheat oven to 450F. Boil sliced potatoes in water with some salt until it's half-way cooked, about 10-15 minutes. Drain potatoes and spread them on a greased baking sheet. Sprinkle salt, pepper, olive oil, garlic powder, and chili powder on top of the potatoes and toss. Bake in oven until golden, about 20 minutes, then flip the potatoes and bake for another 20 minutes.