Crab Cakes with Lemon-Dill Sauce

CRAB CAKES with LEMON-DILL SAUCE

Crab Cakes

3 tablespoons, butter
1 green onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons, finely chopped red bell pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
3 tablespoons, heavy cream
1 tablespoon, Dijon mustard
1 egg
½ teaspoon, minced fresh parsley
Cayenne pepper to taste
1 cup, bread crumbs
¼ cup, grated Parmesan
1 pound, white or claw crabmeat, picked free of any bits of shell
2 tablespoons, vegetable oil
Salt and pepper to taste

To prepare the crab cakes, melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a heavy skillet over medium heat. Sauté the onion, bell pepper, and garlic until the pepper is limp, approximately 3 minutes. Add the cream, mustard, 1 egg, parsley, cayenne pepper and ½ cup bread crumbs, salt to taste preference, and mix well. Gently fold in the crabmeat.

Form the mixture into 8 patties, about ½-inch thick. In a mixing bowl, combine remaining ½ cup of bread crumbs with the Parmesan. Pat the topping onto both sides of patties. Refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours.

Using a skillet, combine the oil and remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. Sauté the crab cakes in the hot oil-butter mixture for approximately 3 minutes on each side or until golden brown. These crab cakes can also be baked for 7 to 10 minutes in a 400° degrees oven.

Lemon Dill Sauce

1 cup mayonnaise
¼ cup, buttermilk
2 tablespoons, chopped fresh dill leaves
1 tablespoon, chopped fresh parsley leaves
1 tablespoon, grated lemon peel
2 teaspoons, fresh lemon juice
1 garlic clove, minced
Salt and pepper to taste

To make the sauce, combine all of the ingredients in a bowl and stir well. Refrigerate until chilled. The sauce will thicken as it chills.

To serve, spoon a dollop of the lemon dill sauce along side each crab cake.

Source: Paula Deen

Parmesan Roasted Tomatoes

4 large Roma tomatoes
1/4 c Italian bread crumbs
1/4 c Reggiano Parmesan cheese
1 t chopped garlic
1 t fresh chopped Italian parsley
1 t fresh chopped basil
1 each medium onion
1/4 c balsamic vinegar
1/4 c extra virgin olive oil
2 bay leaves
2 c baby arugula
Salt and pepper

Finely slice onion and sauté with 1 ounce olive oil and bay leaves until tender… add balsamic and cook until vinegar is reduced, about 1 hour.  Rub the tomato with garlic, basil, parsley, salt and pepper….. let stand for a minimum of 30 min   Sprinkle the tomato with parmesan and bread crumbs… sauté with 1 ounce olive oil. Garnish the plate with arugula tossed with the remaining olive oil

Serves 4 people as a salad or Appetizer.

Source: Chef Perry Seal, Hillwood Country Club, Nashville, Tennessee