MAKE THE BASE
1 c Soy oil
1/2 c Chopped onion, small dice
3/4 c Chopped peppers (red, green
-and yellow), s
3 Egg yolks
1/4 c Fresh lime juice
1/4 c Dijon mustard
1/2 tb Tabasco
1 tb Vietnamese fish sauce
1 lb Jumbo lump crabmeat,
-uncleaned
1 1/2 tb Each of fresh dill, chives
-and parsley, cleaned, stems
1 1/2 c Fresh bread crumbs (crusts
-removed)
1 c Japanese bread crumbs,
-(Panko)
1 tb Freshly ground white pepper
2 Eggs
Vegetable oil for sauting
Method: Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. In a sauce pan over medium heat,
place the oil, onions and peppers, and simmer until the vegetables are
tender, about 7 minutes. Combine the 3 egg yolks, lime juice, mustard,
Tabasco, fish sauce in a large bowl. Remove the oil and vegetables from the
heat. Slowly pour into the yolk mixture, whisking constantly. Begin by
pouring with small splashes, incorporating the oil completely before adding
more. The heat of the oil will cook the yolks as you go, and you should end
up with a hollandaise-like sauce when all the oil has been blended. Return
the saucepan to the heat for 30 seconds, whisking constantly to insure that
sauce is fully incorporated. Set the saucepan down over a bowl of ice and
whisk to cook quickly. Refrigerate the sauce covered, until it is
well-chilled. Make the Chipotle Sauce: 2 chipotle peppers in 1 tablespoon.
adobo sauce 1 tablespoon chopped garlic 1 tablespoon chopped shallots 1/2
cup of cilantro, washed and roughly chopped 1/2 cup seasoned rice vinegar 1
lemon, juiced 2 cups soy oil Process all the ingredients, except for the
soy oil. With the machine running, add the oil in a slow stream until the
sauce is emulsified. Taste. Add more oil if necessary. Reserve. Make the
crab cakes: Pick over crab meat to remove any shell pieces. Add the herbs
and gently toss, taking care not to break up the crab. Add two or three
heaping tablespoons of the chilled sauce base to the crab and gently
combine. Add enough of the bread crumbs to bind the crab mixture. Check to
see that the mixture is moist (the bread crumbs will absorb moisture as the
crab mix sits) and add more sauce or bread crumbs as needed. Add the white
pepper and taste for seasoning. Form the crab into little cakes, about 2
inches in diameter. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs. One at a time, coat
each crab cake with egg. Then coat with Japanese bread crumbs. Heat 1/4 of
vegetable oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. SautJing in batches,
brown the crab cakes on both sides and reserve on a platter. Place in a
pre-heated 350 degree oven for 2-3 minutes to heat through, and serve. Make
the Nuoc Cham Sauce 2 small cloves garlic, peeled and chopped 1 Serrano
chiles, seeded and chopped 2 tablespoons sugar 1/4 cup rice vinegar 1
tablespoon lemon juice 1 tablespoon lime juice 1/4 cup Vietnamese fish
sauce 1/2 cup soy oil 1/2 small red onion, peeled and thinly sliced 2 whole
medium carrots, peeled 1 large turnip, peeled and sliced into matchsticks
using a mandolin 1 gourmet cucumber, scored and split 3 tablespoons fresh
mint, chiffonade Cut the vegetables and make the salad . Blend salad
ingredients and toss in
1/2 cup of Nuoc Cham Sauce. To Serve: Artfully arrange the salad at
one end and two crabcakes at the other. Drizzle the Chipotle sauce in
between the two in a zig zag pattern. Wine Suggestion: Sauvignon Blanc.
Yield: 12 crabcakes, or 6 first course servings.
Yields
1 Servings