Crab Cakes and Avocado for Supper: “Oh Wow!”

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Crab Cakes and Avocado

Summertime is the peak time for harvesting avocados, and by the end of the week everyone is tired.  As much as we would enjoy going out for a special meal,  we usually need to stay near the ranch so The Farmer can continue irrigating the trees.  One way to perk everyone up at the end of a long day is to have something  they weren’t expecting for supper.  Crab cakes!  Want to hear, “Oh wow!” when the family comes in to eat?  Just make up some of these tasty little crab cakes. They’re easy too. Trust me.

I’m not going to pretend that I came up with this recipe.  What I will do is share my secret.  Can you say “Chicken of the Sea”?  No, it’s not chicken and it’s not tuna either…it’s crab meat!

crab meat

I buy my crab meat at Trader Joe’s, but I’m sure other stores carry this brand.

The recipe?  Just pick up the can and turn it around. What could be easier than that? Photos - 350So now you know…I just keep a can of crab meat in the refrigerator and when we feel like having a special supper,  it takes only a few minutes to put together plenty of crab cake deliciousness.  Serve crab cakes  as an appetizer, on a salad, and be sure they are  topped with avocado slices.   We’ve enjoyed them with guacamole on top  too!

Photos - 354Start with one beaten egg.  Add 2 tablespoons mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon prepared mustard (I use dijon), 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, 1 teaspoon dry mustard,  1 teaspoon seafood seasoning (I use Old Bay),  1/2 teaspoon lemon juice, and  some hot sauce if you like it.   Stir all of those ingredients together until the color is consistent.  Then fold in all the crab meat and 3/4 cup plain breadcrumbs.  Sometimes I use herbed bread crumbs, but be careful with strongly seasoned  bread crumbs or the crab cakes can be too salty.

You can  form the crab cakes by hand, but a lot of the meat sticks to my fingers, so now I mound it up in a tablespoon and shape it into a ball.  Then I drop the crab “balls” into a hot buttered skillet.  Let them brown on one side,  then turn and flatten a bit with a spatula.  Turn down the heat so that they can cook through without burning.

crab cakes browned

The sauce?  I stir up  2 tablespoons of mayonnaise,  1 tablespoon of catsup and creamed horseradish to taste.  That’s it!

avocado and crab cakes

It’s fun to use avocado slices to decorate the crab cakes!   Feeding a crowd?  Make a big salad and top each serving with  a crab cake and plenty of California avocado!   When there are just a few of us,  we enjoy  the crab cakes all by themselves with avocado… making  an ordinary supper into a feast!

Worcester Range

This is the Worcester Range in Central Vermont. I grew up with this beautiful view near my parents’ home. I always think of this view when I cook with Worcestershire sauce.

I’ll be spending several weeks with my mother in Vermont, so I’ll be sharing some of the gorgeous scenery from my home state.  Even though I’ve been living on the avocado ranch in California for over 30 years,  Vermont still feels like home to me.   I’m a Green Mountain girl, for sure!

How about you?   What do you serve when you want to have a special supper during your busiest times?    What ingredients remind you of your childhood home?

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