A Minimalist Approach

Not least among the reasons we moved to the Gulf Coast is our love of fresh seafood and the abundant access and variety we find in this little corner of the world.  It is easy to take for granted that the Gulf will continue to yield its bounty indefinitely and is impervious to human interference.  How wrong we are to think our actions and lifestyle choices as a region and as a country will not impact fragile ecosystems around the world!  Events over the past few months have reminded us how interconnected we are and how our actions have consequences. The easy path is to point fingers and lay blame at the door of careless business practices, but yet more difficult to identify the ways in which we (I) bear responsibility.  As the crisis in the Gulf began I attended a prayer vigil at our pubic pier.  One of the speakers that night encouraged us to consider both "corporate greed" and "our own unexamined conspicuous consumption" as we seek a path toward healing.

To give a critical eye to our own lifestyle choices will be a fruitful pursuit for each of us.  The Genesis narrative reminds us that God granted to men and women stewardship over all creation, conferring upon each of us both privilege and responsibility.  Earth care is neither a liberal nor a conservative issue.  It is a human issue, born of the role we are each called to play by virtue of creation.  The old adage that "less is more" has never been more relevant than it is today.  Community may be found close to home, but we have neighbors near and far who will thank us for choosing a minimalist approach to life.  In Genesis 1:31, God saw all he had made "and it was very good."  We have inherited a sacred trust as human beings to preserve that which God has declared good, to make thoughtful choices and live lightly on this earth.  I am painfully aware how far I have to go to uphold my end of the bargain, but grateful that more often these days, more of us are participating in conversations that contribute to change.  We have oh-so-much to gain!

Bayou La Batre, just across the causeway in south Mobile County is the epicenter of our local seafood industry.  You saw it in the movie Forrest Gump as the home of Bubba Gump Seafood.  One of the treasures of our Gulf by way of Bayou La Batre is the blue crab, whose tender sweet meat can be enjoyed a multitude of ways, but I think is best tucked into a tasty crab cake.  Again, less is more.  We have been experimenting over the past couple of years and have hit on a minimal number of additions we think enhance the essential loveliness of the crab without masking the flavor.  We think crab cake should taste more like "crab" than "cake," if you get my drift.  Give this a try the next time you can get your hands on about a pound of really good crabmeat!  (And thank you for letting me preach a little tonight!)

Minimalist Crab Cakes
(Makes about 8)
1 pound crabmeat
1/4 cup good quality mayonnaise
1 tsp. Old Bay seasoning
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
dash salt
1/2 cup bread crumbs (Panko, homemade or other--NOT seasoned) for filling
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 cup Panko bread crumbs for coating

1.  Carefully prepare the crabmeat by picking out any small pieces of shell.  I recommend you take the crabmeat out of the refrigerator and put it in a colander to drain the juice.  Let it stand about 5 minutes before starting to work your fingers through it so it won't be quite so cold.  It hurts my delicate little fingers if I don't!


2.  Add the mayonnaise, Old Bay, mustard, salt and 1/2 cup bread crumbs to the crab.  Toss lightly until well combined without breaking up the crab too much.

3.  Fold in the egg.

4.  Here is the challenging part.  To shape the mixture into crakes, I use a half cup measuring cup that I fill to about 2/3 full, pressing the mixture down into the cup to shape it.  I spread the cup of Panko bread crumbs out on a wax paper lined plate.  I turn the cup upside down on top of the bread crumbs and give it a good thump on top to loosen the crab, then I remove the cup.  I toss crumbs on top and on the sides and cover as much as possible.  Then I use a spatula to lift it up and turn it over on the crumbs, being careful not to let it fall apart.  Inevitably, some pieces will fall off.  Just tuck them back in and shape lightly with your hands.  Use the spatula to transfer the shaped, coated crab cake onto a wax paper lined pan.  Good luck!  This gets easier with practice!!

5.  Place the pan with the shaped crab cakes into the freezer for about 15-20 minutes.  If you don't plan to cook all of the crab cakes, leave the ones you don't need in the freezer.

6.  A few minutes before time to take the crab cakes out of the freezer, heat an oven proof pan over medium to medium high heat and preheat the oven to 300 degrees.  This is a GREAT time to pull out a well-seasoned iron skillet.  Put a little oil and butter BOTH in the pan to melt.  When it starts to sizzle, remove the crab cakes from the freezer and place directly in the pan.  Allow to brown on one side, then carefully flip to the other.

7.  When nicely brown on each side, put the pan with the crab cakes into the oven.  Leave for about 10-15 minutes as you toss a salad, sautee some veggies or set the table.  Serve with your choice of sauces, either store bought such as a remoulade or a tartar sauce, or try one of these simple sauces.

Mock Remoulade:  Mix two parts mayonnaise with one part creole mustard.

Lemon Caper Aioli:  Mix 1/2 cup mayonnaise with the juice of 1/2 lemon and 1 teaspoon capers.

A clean plate, every time!

Note:  These freeze really well prior to cooking.  Really!  Here's a tip.  Freeze them until solid before wrapping.  When they are frozen, use a vacuum sealer and toss in the freezer.  Or place in a plastic bag with excess air squeezed out.  But in general, you really should get a vacuum sealer.  My good friend J.R. turned me on to the joys of food vacuum sealing.  You can find these "FoodSavers" stashed on the top shelf at Tuesday Morning, if you keep an eye out for one, or instantly available at Amazon.  They are great for leftovers AND the packaged food takes up less space in your freezer.  Plus, they are kind of fun.  Your husband will like doing this because it involves a machine.  Make sure you label and date whatever you vacuum seal, because things tend to look alike once you suck the air out.  You'd hate to be all geared up for crab cakes only to realize you had thawed out the ground veal instead.

What to do with your frozen crab cakes:  Use them to make Crab Benedict!  Thaw them slightly.  You want them still to be firm and hold their shape for frying.  Top each with a poached egg and homemade Hollandaise sauce.  Sprinkle with a few capers and serve with a side of fruit and you have a lovely weekend brunch.  These pictures are funny!  I think the capers make the Crab Benedict look a little like little crabs themselves, eyes peering out suspiciously at their surroundings.