Mothers Day Brunch: Crab Cake Benedict 

Image via: Olivia Rae via Everyday Musings – Flickr

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Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

For Crab Cakes:

1 pound crab meat

1 egg

½ small onion

3 stalks celery

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon seafood seasoning

2 dashes Worcestershire sauce

10-15 saltine crackers

For Hollandaise Sauce:

4 egg yolks

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 stick butter, melted

Cayenne pepper, to taste

Image via: Sea Pak seafood

For Benedict:

4 English muffins, halved

8 eggs

2 tablespoons white vinegar

Fresh parsley, for garnish

Preparation:

1. Start by preparing the ingredients for the crab cakes. Pick through the crab to ensure the meat is free of cartilage and shells. Finely dice the celery and onion. Crush the saltine crackers into crumbs and set them aside.
2. In a small bowl, mix together the crab, egg, celery, onion, mayonnaise, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and seafood seasoning until cohesive.
3. Shape the crab mixture into 8 equal-sized crab cakes. Then, roll the crab mixture in the cracker crumbs until the outside is completely covered. (Note: You can do this the night before, cover, and refrigerate to make things move more quickly in the morning.)
4. When you’re ready to cook the Benedict’s, start by making the hollandaise. Vigorously whisk the egg yolks and lemon juice together in a stainless steel bowl and until the mixture is thickened and doubled in volume.
5. Place the bowl over a double-boiler, or saucepan containing barely simmering water, and continuing to whisk rapidly. Slowly drizzle in the melted butter and continue to whisk until the sauce is thickened and doubled in volume.
6. Remove the sauce from the heat, whisk in cayenne and salt. Cover and place in a warm spot until ready to use for the eggs Benedict.
7. Bring the water up to a slow boil and add in the white vinegar. Keep this going while you cook the crab cakes.
8. Heat a few tablespoons of oil over medium in a skillet. Cook the crab cakes until they are lightly browned, about 3 minutes per side. When done, allow them to drain on a paper towel and use the skillet to lightly toast the English muffin halves.
9. Meanwhile gently crack 1 of the eggs into the water taking care not to break it. Repeat with remaining eggs.
10. Reduce the heat to a gentle simmer. Cook 3 1/2 minutes until the egg white is set and yolk remains soft. Remove with a slotted spoon, allowing the egg to drain.
11. Assemble the Benedict’s by putting a crab cake on each English half. Then, top them all with a poached egg and a generous portion of hollandaise sauce.
12. Serve warm, garnished with chopped parsley.

While this dish does have a few steps, with the proper time management it’s actually surprisingly simple. Make sure Mom knows how thankful you for all she does by preparing this show-stopping dish for mothers day brunch. In fact, don’t hesitate to revisit the recipe any time you need to impress someone special.

For more brunch ideas on Stagetecture, click here.

A balance between creamy and crunchy textures often ensures that crab rangoon are the first take out items to disappear. However, since the wantons are fried they can get labeled as an occasional treat. But with just a few simple swaps, these bite-sized treats will become a healthy appetizer that you can enjoy all the time. Best of all, they’ll be ready in less time than it takes to order delivery.

Healthy Appetizer: Baked Crab Rangoon 

Image Via: DamnDelicious

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Prep Time: 25 minutes

Cook Time: 12 minutes

Yield: 20 wontons

Ingredients: 

For Crab Rangoon:

12 ounces crab meat

6 ounces light cream cheese, softened

1/3 cup Greek yogurt

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 dash Worcestershire sauce

2 teaspoons chives

20 wonton wrappers

1 egg

For Dipping Sauce:

½ cup soy sauce

2 tablespoons white vinegar

2 tablespoons sugar-free orange marmalade

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 teaspoon red chili flakes

Image Via: Foodtopia 

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Flake the crab into a bowl, picking through to ensure it’s free of any shells or cartilage.
3. Fold the crab into the Greek yogurt and cream cheese until everything is combined in a creamy paste.
4. Mix in the soy sauce, Worcestershire and chives. Adjust seasonings to taste.
5. Take one wonton wrapper and place it on a flat surface. Wet your fingertip with water and trace it around all four edges of the wrapper. Spoon a heaping teaspoon of the filling in the center.
6. Take one edge of the wrapper and fold it on the diagonal to form a triangle. Press the edges together to seal the wonton completely.
7. Place each completed wonton on a greased baking sheet and repeat steps 5&6 with the rest of the wrappers.
8. Beat the egg in a small bowl to form an egg wash. Brush the wontons with the egg wash before transferring them into the oven.
9. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until the wontons are golden brown and crispy.
10. While the wontons are baking, mix the soy sauce, vinegar, marmalade, garlic, and chili flakes together to form a dipping sauce. Adjust seasonings to taste.
11. Allow wontons to cool for at least five minutes. Serve warm with sauce on the side for dipping.

These crab rangoons are a takeout dish that you don’t need to feel guilty about indulging in. While these could absolutely replace Sunday night delivery, consider them as a cocktail party hors d’oeuvres or a simple after school snack. However you use them, you’ll want to make extra because your family will be clamoring for more of this healthy appetizer.

For more easy meals on Stagetecture, click here.

Every holiday party needs a couple of tasty appetizers to help guests get comfortable. The best ones are those that the host can throw together in minutes but will have the guests coming back to refill their plates over and over again. This hot crab dip recipe is creamy, cheesy, and more than delicious enough to get your holiday parties and upcoming New Year’s off to a great start.

Holiday Appetizer: Hot Crab Dip Recipe

Image Via: TGSCookin.com

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Ingredients:

1 lb crab meat

8 oz cream cheese

4 oz shredded gruyere cheese

1/2 small onion

3 splashes Worcestershire sauce

2 splashes lemon juice

2 splashes hot sauce

1 tablespoon seafood seasoning

1 teaspoon dried parsley

Salt and pepper

Crackers or crostini, for serving

Assorted vegetables, for serving

Image Via: TGSCookin.com

Preparation:

1. About an hour before you are ready to make the dip, take the cream cheese out of the refrigerator in order to let it soften.
2. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
3.  Dump the crabmeat into a large bowl and pick through it to ensure that it is free of shells and cartilage.
4. Finely chop the onion and add it to the crab.
5. Stir to combine with both cheeses.
6. Add seasonings, adjusting the amounts to your personal tastes. Mix well.
7. Transfer the mixture into a greased baking dish and bake it for 20-30 minutes, until the cheese becomes bubbly and the entire dip is heated through.
8. Serve warm on a platter garnished with crackers and vegetables for dipping.

While this dip is ideally served hot, it still maintains great flavor at room temperature, so don’t go nuts trying to keep it warm all night long. Always remember that, as important as food is during the holidays, it should play a supporting role to enjoying the celebration.

For more easy appetizers, click here.

Summertime is often not thought of for soup recipes, but there are a few that make us reminisce about sea side living and coastal vacations! Try this Shrimp and Crab Bisque recipe. Perfect for anytime of day and great for entertaining friends and family or just grabbing a bowl to sit out on the porch and watch summer take shape. This seafood recipe is packed with flavors and nutrients that everyone will surely love to eat.

Summer Shrimp and Crab Bisque Recipe

Image via: An Edible Mosaic

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Ingredients

1/4 cup(s) vegetable oil
1/2 pound(s) (medium) shrimp, coarsely chopped, with shells and tails
2 tablespoon(s) all-purpose flour
2 onions, finely chopped
4 clove(s) garlic, chopped
1 celery rib, chopped
1/4 cup(s) raw white rice, coarsely ground in a spice grinder
1 sprig(s) thyme
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon(s) crushed red pepper
1 tablespoon(s) tomato paste
1/4 cup(s) brandy
2 cup(s) (16 ounces) bottled clam broth
1 1/2 cup(s) heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon(s) Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon(s) hot sauce
Salt
2 cup(s) whole milk
1/2 cup(s) small pearl tapioca (not instant), rinsed
1 pound(s) jumbo lump crab
Snipped chives, for garnish

Image via: Our State

Directions:

1. In a large pot, heat the vegetable oil. Add the chopped shrimp and cook over high heat, stirring occasionally, until pink, about 6 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Add the onions, garlic, and celery and cook over moderate heat until softened, about 10 minutes. Add the rice powder, thyme, bay leaf, crushed red pepper, and tomato paste and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. Add the brandy and simmer until nearly evaporated. Add the clam broth, heavy cream, and 2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Simmer over moderately low heat until slightly reduced, about 20 minutes.
2. Transfer the mixture to a blender or food processor and pulse until the solids are finely chopped. Wipe out the pot. Strain the bisque into the pot, pressing hard to extract as much of the liquid as possible. Stir in the Worcestershire sauce and hot sauce and season with salt.
3. In a large saucepan, combine the milk with 1 cup of water and bring to a simmer. Add the tapioca and cook, stirring constantly, until the pearls are translucent all the way through, about 15 minutes.
4. Stir the tapioca and its milk into the bisque and add the crab. Spoon the bisque into shallow bowls, garnish with the snipped chives, and serve.

The whole ingredients should serve up to 6 persons. So, when it comes to seafood, there’s no better recipe than the Shrimp and Crab Bisque.

For more summer recipes on Stagetecture, click here.