Sometimes you just get tired of big, typical meals.  I know we do!  So this past Sunday I decided to whip up a simple nutty salad and some tender crab cake appetizers.  The recipe calls for 26 mini cakes, but I decided to make 6 large ones.  The crab cake recipe called for 1/2 cup of Mayonnaise, but since we all know how fattening that would be, I heeded Melanie’s advice and used Natural Yogurt instead!

Read on past the break for this light, tasty and perfect Pinot Gris pairing!

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Ingredients

Tomato Ginger Jam

• 2 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup minced shallots
• 1 tbsp finely grated peeled fresh ginger
• 1 large clove garlic, minced
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper
• 1/8 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1.5 lb plum tomatoes, seeded and finely chopped
• 1.5 tbsp fresh lime juice
• 2 tbsp finely chopped fresh cilantro

Crab Cakes

• 1/2 cup of natural yogurt
• 1 large egg
• 1 tbsp Dijon Mustard
• 1 tsp Old Bay Seasoning (apparently this is seafood spice???)
• 1.5 tsp fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper
• 1 lb jumbo lump crabmeat
• 2 cups cornflake crumbs
• 2 cups panko crumbs

Directions

Tomato Ginger Jam

1. Melt butter in a 10 in skillet over medium-low heat. Add the shallots, ginger, garlic, salt, black pepper and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring until the shallots are softened, about 5 minutes.
2. Add the sugar and cook, stirring until dissolved.  Add the tomatoes and simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until thickened, 10 to 15 minutes.
3. Cool the jam to room temperature, then stir in the lime juice and cilantro.

Crab Cakes

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the yogurt, egg, mustard, seafood seasoning, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and hot pepper sauce. Gently stir in the crabmeat, taking care to break up the lumps.  The original recipe asks to do the opposite, but we found we needed to shred the meat some with a hand blender. Chill covered for 2 hours to stiffen the mixture, or do what we did, add 1/2 cup of bread crumbs.
2. Mix the cornflake crumbs and panko crumbs together in a shallow dish. Form 6 balls of mixture, flatten and cover them in crumbs.  Don’t be shy.
3. Place the patties on a cookie sheet and place in preheated 400F oven. Bake the crab cakes for 8 minutes then broil them for 4 minutes at 500F.  You want them crispy and golden on top.
4. Transfer to plates and top with jam.
5. Enjoy!

Related posts:

1. Tomato Fennel Soup with Tomato Olive Crostini
2. Orange Ginger Stir Fry Sauce
3. Banadura Salata B’Kizbara (Tomato Cilantro Salad)