Make Ahead Brunch~ Simply Elegant Crab Strata

I used to have more time to plan somewhat lavish meals for guests.  Like having 70+ people over without catering, making all the food and decorations myself with the help of one or two of my daughters.  Those times seem to be fading quickly into the abyss of my blog and memory.

Sometimes the simplest gatherings are the most gratifying for me and most pleasing for my guests.  But even the simplest gatherings should have something special.  And special doesn't have to be labor intensive.  Not even for an Easter brunch or a spring bridal shower.  Really!

Two things to keep in mind are:
1.  Use dependable recipes.
2.  Use quality ingredients.

I have your covered on the first.  The second is up to your local grocery, and you.

This recipe comes from a small recipe book from my favorite B&B.  The collection of recipes is very much like one you would get from the ladies group at a church.  They are pretty simple, with just one short paragraph of instructions.  It is so simple, that many may overlook it when selecting an elegant dish for their spring entertaining menus.  But it really deserves more than your consideration.  It is delicious.

Remember, use quality ingredients.  Using fresh and quality ingredients can almost always change any recipe into a star, even if you aren't a top chef.  Trust me, I know from experience.  So, before your begin, shop for your ingredients.

Fresh Produce
Use fresh lemon juice instead of bottled.  Mince your own onion, don't use onion powder.  Chop up some CRISP celery.  Keeping your celery in water in the refrigerator keeps it crisp.

Flavorful Cheese
You may be tempted to skimp here, but use some nice Irish cheddar or something that is an aged, good cheese.

Good Crabmeat
Use lump crab meat that you find refrigerated.  Not imitation.  Not frozen.  Not next to the canned tuna.  I use Philips. It's good.

Now you are ready! Assemble the strata the night before.  Put the dish, uncovered, a cold oven.  Heat the oven then begin timing from there.

And be ready to give out the recipe.  Everyone will want to make it once they find out how easy it is.


Simply Elegant Crab Strata
1 small loaf fresh sourdough bread, cubed {about 8 cups}
1 lb lump crab meat
1 c chopped celery
1 small sweet onion, chopped
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1/2 c real mayonnaise
juice from 1/2 lemo
1 tsp hot sauce
2 c grated sharp cheddar cheese
8 eggs, beaten
2 c milk

Grease a 9x13 or a 3 quart casserole dish.  Spread the bread cubes in the prepared dish.  In a large bowl combine crab, celery, onion, mustard, mayonnaise, lemon juice, and hot sauce; stir well.  Using a blender or food processor (even a hand mixer), combine eggs and milk well.  Add the egg mixture to the crab mixture and stir well.  Pour over top of the bread cubes.  Top with shredded cheese.  Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate over night.  In the morning, place dish in cold oven.  Heat oven to 350F.  Cook for an hour from the time oven reaches 350 or until lightly browned.  Serve with additional hot sauce and lemon wedges.

Note- I made this recipe and divided it into two dishes.  But, I recommend using just one 9x13 dish.

Savory Salmon Spread

When choosing an appetizer or snack to have for small gatherings, I will often choose something that is served warm like spinach dip or meatballs.  Often I will need something a bit lighter before a full dinner though.  Sometimes I'll choose a seafood based appetizer when I need something lighter, like this crab salad.  But more often I want something even simpler.  One of my favorite snacks that is simple to pull together and is served chilled or at room temperature is Savory Salmon Spread.  It is perfect as an appetizer before a spring-time dinner, especially Easter or a Sunday brunch.

The flavor improves as the ingredients sit together, so I suggest making the spread the night before or at least two hours ahead of time.  Another tip~ use a stand mixer with the paddle attachment to blend the ingredients.  So easy.

I usually serve the spread with buttery crackers but it is just as scrumptious atop cucumber slices.  Low carb and gluten free!  I am partial to the canned tuna.  I know, lack of sophistication.  I think those who want to make this a bit more elegant can easily substitute about a cup of shredded smoked salmon.  I've even served this spread in mini fillo shells topped with some scallions for a bit more pizzazz.  This is a base recipe that can be adapted to your needs and tastes.  Enjoy!

Use mini cookie cutter to cut out cute spring~time shapes of cucumbers.

Pie shape cutters work too!

 Keep cut cucumber shapes in a glass jar filled with water in the refrigerator until serving.  Cucumber will be extra crispy!

Savory Salmon Spread
2 5 oz cans boneless and skinless salmon, drained with some liquid reserved
1 8 oz block of cream cheese, softened
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp dried dill
pinch of salt
pinch of dried thyme

Blend all ingredients together well.  If too thick, add a bit of reserved liquid to thin.  Chill at least 2 hours.  Set out about 30 minutes before serving to soften.  Serve with buttery crackers or cucumber slices.

Mom's Crab and Corn Chowder

I don't remember what started the search for 'The' crab and corn chowder recipe, but I know I did search.  And I tried a few that looked really good.  Only one of them really satisfied what I was looking for~ creamy, thick, scrumptious and relatively easy.  Unfortunately, I pretty much lost it and couldn't remember which recipe was it.  Honestly, I think that I made some adjustments to a recipe that would make it fit into my needs.

So after again trying some of the recipes I found and not really feeling that any where 'The' recipe, I came up with my own.  And from the first attempt, it has always been a hit with my family.  Since it is a recipe I made up as I went along, the children call it Mom's Crab and Corn Chowder.

And they lament that there is never any leftovers to speak of.  At dinner one night, my daughter claimed any remaining chowder for her lunch the following day.  To her disappointment there were about two spoonfuls.

That brings me to the subject of 'servings' for this recipe.  I've never measured it so I will guestimate that is makes about 8~10 servings, which is enough for our dinner table.  The only difficult thing about making the chowder is the price of crab.  If you want to make the crab go a bit further, you could use more flour {say 1/2 cup} broth and cream to stretch it.  Also, fill in with more potatoes.  We like to keep it like this, with lots of crab though.  It's our cold weather treat!

I think one of the greatest compliments I ever received related to my cooking was from my mother-in-law about this chowder.  She's from New England so seafood is home to her.  One day when I was responsible for her meals for a few weeks, I brought some of my crab and corn chowder to her.

 A week or so later, she said, "You know, you could make that crab and corn chowder for me again sometime.  I really liked it."  From a New England gal, that was a real compliment.

Mom's Crab and Corn Chowder

4-6 new potatoes, chopped {about 2 cups}
½ c butter

1 small sweet onion, chopped

1/3 c flour

2+ c chicken broth

2 c half and half

2 tsp crab seasoning {such as Old Bay}
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1~2 bay leaves

16 oz  frozen sweet corn

16 oz lump crab meat
scallions

shredded cheddar

Parboil potatoes*; immediately submerge in cold water to stop cooking.  Set aside or in the fridge until ready to add to chowder.

Melt butter in dutch oven on stove top; add chopped onion and saute for 5 minutes or until translucent.  Stir in 1/3 c flour; slowly add 2 c chicken broth, whisking.  Slowly stir in 2 c half and half; season with salt, pepper, crab seasoning, cayenne, thyme, and a bay leaf.  Add parboiled potatoes, frozen corn and crab meat; simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally for 30-45 minutes.  Add more chicken broth to thin if needed.  Remove bay leaves before serving.  Garnish with shredded cheddar, sliced scallions and crab seasoning before serving.

~Tips and Tricks~
*To parboil, bring a pot of water to a boil, add diced potatoes and let boil for 5 minutes; rinse in cold water to completely cool and set aside til ready to use.
*To keep half n half from curdling, measure out the needed amount before you start cooking.  Let it set on the counter to warm up to room temperature.  Or at least slightly so it isn't refrigerator cold when added to the chowder.
*Since we use whole milk, I don't buy half n half.  I use a lot of whipping cream in cooking and baking.  To make half n half, I just combine equal parts of cream and whole milk.
*Fresh corn would be so delicious in this, but I make this quite often in the winter so use frozen corn.  If you make during season, I suggest fresh corn off the cob, about 3-4 cups.

Neptune's Chest~ Shrimp Salad with Melon

When my husband and I were dating each other, we would frequently go to a great seafood restaurant on the water in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia.  It was great, not only because of the food, but for the atmosphere.  It is close to the water and filled with historic buildings making it a beautiful place to walk around before and after dinner.  We often sat upstairs in the piano room.  There was a fabulous piano player who really entertained everyone.  And they had fabulous drinks to go along with their food, the specialty was a draft beer in a huge glass called A Fish Market.  But the food was always good.

Once, shortly after we were engaged, I came back from the ladies room to find my fiance gabbing with an older man. The man asked if I would dance with him.  He was very sweet, so I did.  The whole time he teased me about where I was going to for my honey moon, some small town in Ohio, or so that's what he claimed my soon~to~be husband told him.  I knew it was all a joke, but my husband and I remember it to this day.

We went there often even after we were married.  But things change.  First, the piano man no longer worked there and they never hired a replacement.  Then they quit entertainment altogether because of city regulations.  Our next visit to the Fish Market was quite a while later.  By that time, the ownership had changed and so had the food.  I ordered my regular~ Neptune's Chest.  It was a traditional cold shrimp salad served in a cantaloupe half, not difficult.  But it was different.  We haven't been since and I think our dinners at the Fish Market have come and gone for good.

But I like to think about those days and hopefully many more ahead with my husband.  Almost out of nostalgia I decided to make this shrimp salad to enjoy.  I had never made a shrimp salad of my own before, but didn't think it would be too difficult.  I went from my taste buds' memories and knowledge of basic creamy, cold salads to make this.  I especially would love to make this for an early summer evening picnic, just for two.

Neptune's Chest Shrimp Salad
1 lb cooked, deveined and peeled medium shrimp {tail off}
4 stalks celery, tops and bottoms removed, chopped
2 green onions, sliced
1/2 c mayo
2 tsp dijon mustard
juice of half a lemon
salt and pepper to taste
1 cantaloupe, halved, seeded and flesh removed {see tips below}
1 small heart of Romaine lettuce, chopped, rinsed and dried

Mix all.  Chill for an hour.  Fill each melon half with shredded lettuce.  Spoon chilled shrimp salad onto lettuce, dividing between the halves. Makes two generous salads.

How to Prepare the Melon Bowl~
To make the melon bowls, cut a melon in half {suggest cantaloupe}.  Spoon our the seeds.  Cut around the inside edge, between melon and skin.

Cut into flesh only, 4 wedges, avoiding the skin.  The two slices on the outer edges should come off easily.  The two in the middle will still be intact.  Using a spoon, slowly and carefully lift the two remaining wedges.

Save the wedges {or cut into chunks} to serve with salad.

These are excellent for lunches, too.  Once assembled, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and keep chilled.  If taking for a picnic, place on ice in a small cooler.


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Crab Cake Sliders

The first time I ever made crab cakes from scratch, I used this recipe from Ina Garten {who has fabulous recipes}.  It is the only crab cake recipe I have ever used. And, I can say it will probably be the only I will ever use.  It is scrumptious.  Flavored by veggies, without a lot of filler, these are ever so tasty and moist.

A few notes about making these.  I have doubled the crab meat but only slightly increased some of the other ingredients, specifically the bread crumbs.  Thus, the mixture is very moist and can fall apart easily when pan frying.  Just trust me.  Pat the moist ingredient into balls and flatten slightly.  Place in pan with the hot oil and butter, and let them fry for 4 minutes before flipping.  Leave room in your pan to slide a spatula underneath each crab cake and then gently flip it over.  You will be rewarded with delicious crab cakes.

These are excellent bites size for sliders, but they are also delicious made into a normal size crab cake.  Our family enjoys these as sliders, with fondue, or with pasta and a salad.  Well, our family minus my four year old.  He told me he only likes crab salad.  I encouraged him to just try them, but he had an excuse. "I've had crab cakes before at Baskin Robins in ice cream.  I didn't like them," he stated confidently.  I don't remember that, but I am certain if I had crab cakes in ice cream, I would not like them either.

Crab Cake Sliders
2 tbsp unsalted butter
2 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
4 stalks celery, chopped
1 small orange or red bell pepper, chopped
1 small green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp hot sauce {such as Tabasco}
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp pepper
1 1/2 tsp crab seasoning {such as Old Bay}
1 lb lump crab meat
3/4 c bread crumbs
1/2 c mayonnaise
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 lg egg, lightly beaten
additional 3 tbsp butter and 3 tbsp oil for pan frying
36 mini potato rolls {usually sold in packs of 24}

Melt 2 tbsp butter with 2 tbsp olive oil in large skillet over medium heat. Saute onion, celery, and bell peppers seasoned with hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, crab seasoning, salt and pepper. Cook until vegetables are soft, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.

Place crab, bread crumbs, mayonnaise, mustard, egg and cooled cooked veggies in a large bowl. Mix well to combine. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to firm up slightly and make shaping crab cakes easier. After mixture is chilled, shape into bite size crab cakes.

Heat additional 3 tablespoons of butter and 3 tablespoons of olive oil in pan. Pan fry crab cakes over medium heat about 4 minutes each side. Move to plate lined with paper towel to remove excess grease.

Assemble sliders by placing a crab cake on a cut roll. Top with tartar or remoulade sauce {my personal preference}. Serve with coleslaw. To have these for a crowd ahead of time, make the crab cakes the day before. Reheat, covered with foil, in a 325F oven for about 15 minutes, then assemble.

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Incredible Crab Salad

The holiday season is full of parties and lots of food, fattening food that makes you feel sluggish. Here is something different. Something light and refreshing, but oh so delicious, Incredible Crab Salad. This was inspired by my favorite appetizer from Ruth's Chris', the crabtini. It is a tasty blend of lump crab meat, fresh herbs and remoulade sauce. Not only does it taste wonderful, it looks wonderful. Served in a glass over shredded lettuce, it is a light and scrumptious treat, something that won't fill you up before the feasting begins.

Here is my version of this tempting appetizer.

Incredible Crab Salad
1 lb lump crab meat
two lemons, for juicing
handful of fresh parsley, chopped (about 4 tbsp)
2 green onions, sliced
2 stalks celery, diced
2 hearts of romaine lettuce
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp sea salt
fresh ground pepper
remoulade sauce
more lemons

Drain crab meat and place in a large bowl. Squeeze lemons over crab meat. Add chopped parsley and green onions and celery. Add olive oil, salt and fresh ground pepper {just enough for a bit of flavor}. Toss all together and let marinade in refrigerator for at least an hour.

While the crab salad is marinating, rinse your romaine lettuce and dry. Finely chop one heart of lettuce and reserve for stuffing into glasses. The other heart of lettuce should be cut into pieces about 3 inches long. These are used to put on the side of a plate with about half of the crab salad. Those who don't get a glass can just pick up a leaf of lettuce and top it with the crab salad.

Fill four wine glasses (even better is a martini glass) with chopped lettuce. Add a couple of spoonfuls of crab salad and a dollop of remoulade sauce. Garnish the glass with a wedge of lemon. Put the remaining salad into a small, pretty bowl. Place the lettuce leafs on a plate with the bowl of crab salad and some more lemon wedges. Set out with a ramekin of remoulade sauce.

Just a note about the remoulade sauce. I find it in the condiment isle next to Tabasco or Louisiana sauces. I have found some recipes, but they each involve many ingredients so I just buy it. Also, I recommend the Philips crab meat which can be found in the refrigerated seafood section of the grocery. It is kept cold, therefore fresher than other canned crab meat, and it is much easier than shelling crabs.