Crab
Crab and Avocado Soup
"I literally didn't know how to boil an egg until I was in my 20s — when I tried to impress a guy by making dinner for him," writes Sally Siegel of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. "I didn't have much success with the dinner or the guy, but I regrouped and put together a repertoire of fairly elegant dishes I felt confident making. Luckily, my husband, Loren, likes to cook as much as I do, so we really work as a team when we give dinner parties. We're both real estate agents, and we like to entertain clients — we've made some great friends by selling houses to them."
Silky and light, this blender soup would make a delicate summer starter. Bonus: It comes together very quickly.
By Sally Siegel
Miniature Crab Cakes with Mustard Mayonnaise
For a particularly light and crunchy coating we used panko (coarse Japanese bread crumbs) on these crab cakes rather than regular bread crumbs. Panko is increasingly available in this country, not only in Asian markets but also in seafood shops.
Crab, Chili, and Avocado Tostaditos
Mini-tostadas are a popular Mexican bocadito, or finger food. Cotija is a crumbly white cheese sold at Latin markets and some supermarkets (feta cheese can be substituted.)
Crabmeat Martin
Joe Martin was both a hero and a mentor to me. He was an old-fashioned New Orleans kitchen guy who never had national fame as a chef, but he could cook better than a lot of household names. Not only that, he was a great teacher, developing an army of everyday workers who were the backbone of good food served all over town. The funny thing is, for all the people he taught, he never wrote down his best dishes. He used to make this one hunched over like it was a big secret. I pieced the recipe together from some of the guys he taught. Joe, if you're looking down on this dish from someplace where the work isn't so hard, I hope you don't think we're leaving something out!
By Andrew Jaeger and John DeMers
Kerala Boatman's Crab Curry
A narrow strip of land at the southwestern tip of India, the state of Kerala is interlaced with a network of lagoons, canals, lakes, and rivers. Peddlers sell fish from these waters and other food by boat along the canals.
This curry is styled after the ones these boatmen cook for themselves. It incorporates many ingredients of the Kerala kitchen: black peppercorns, fiery red chiles, mustard seeds, and the ubiquitous coconut. In India they toss about 20 fresh curry leaves into the kettle along with the onion, garlic, gingerroot, chiles, and peppercorns. These aromatic leaves can be difficult to find in the U.S., but if you locate some, by all means use them.
Buttermilk Soup with Cucumber and Crab
Low-fat buttermilk and nonfat yogurt provide the base in a refreshing, tangy soup.
Crab Cakes with Creamy Caper Sauce
"Last summer I attended an event at the Three Clock Inn in South Londonderry, Vermont. The chef prepared a lovely luncheon, and it included delicious crab cakes," Bill Brett of Bondville, Vermont. "When I went home, I came up with my own version."
The crab cakes are loaded with fresh crabmeat and are accented by a tangy sauce.
By Bill Brett
Thai-Spiced Watermelon Soup With Crabmeat
This light, spicy soup is delicious hot or chilled. The sautéed aromatics turn the broth a rich red-orange, more reminiscent of tomato than watermelon. See if your guests can guess the main ingredient.
Active time: 1 hr Start to finish: 1 hr (3 hr if serving chilled)
Crab Cakes with Spicy Avocado Sauce
Japanese bread crumbs, called panko , give these cakes a light, crisp coating. Panko is sold at Asian markets and can often be found in the seafood section of large supermarkets. But if it's unavailable, plain dry bread crumbs are an acceptable substitute.
Louisiana Deviled Crab Cakes
These crab cakes are flavored with the "holy trinity" of Cajun cooking: onion, green bell pepper, and celery. Serve them with a helping of coleslaw or a green salad.
Crab Cakes with Avocado Salad
This is from Tabla, where it is served with tamarind chutney and pappadams, the savory wafers that accompany most Indian meals.