Husband At The Stove: Crab Cakes

Steady my heart. My meat-and-potato husband, Steve, mentioned in my 1st post about Squash Soup is suddenly a Male Cooking Diva. Yep, the guy who believes that if God wanted us to eat fish, He wouldn't have put it way out in the ocean, volunteered to cook! In fairness to him...he makes a great meatloaf, fried chicken cutlets and shake 'n bake pork chops. And this workin' woman, truly appreciates the meals. This supper would be different. He'd find the recipe and I was not to help him in any way.

Let's take a stroll down memory lane to get a better understanding of my reaction to Steve's sudden desire to cook. You see, Steve eats healthy meals, but he prefers basic cuisine. Indian food, never. Greek? No way. Hot or spicy..you gotta be kidding. He'd rather eat canned green beans than fresh from the vine, something about fresh vegetables tasting...well, fresh...ya know crunchy, and grassy like. His extent of fish is tuna out of a can, shrimp cocktail or fried and lobster tails. No claws, thank you. He was in his twenties when he first tasted lobster. It was a matter of eating this crustacean or starve. He was out with buddies and they all ran out of money before supper rolled around. A kind uncle of one of his friends offered to pay for dinner IF they would dine at his favorite seafood restaurant. To make matters worse or better, he ordered lobster tails for all...no ifs, ands or buts. So rather than starve, Steve made a great sacrifice and ate lobster. And he liked it. Thank you uncle Whoever-You-Are for adding this ocean jewel to Steve's culinary repertoire.
I have tried to entice him with a forkful of macadamia crusted tilapia, honey-mustard Dover sole and crispy catfish tacos smothered in homemade coleslaw. He tentatively takes a bite as if an unseen octopus is going to pop out and spit ink in his eye, chews slowly and washes it down quickly with whatever is close at hand...soda, beer or like a ten year old...milk. He hasn't branched out much. So, you can imagine my surprise when my recently retired husband announced, "Honey, this Thursday I'm cooking supper. I got everything under control." What in the world would he come up with? I started to sweat as Thursday drew near.

Finally, the Recipe Reveal Night came. I was amazed and delighted when I arrived home and the table was set, salad fixed, and my man was standing at the stove flipping...drum roll, please,...crab cakes! I don't think I've ever found him more sexy than at that moment. He was smiling, but I could see concern in his blue eyes....would his passionate-for-cooking wife like what he'd prepared? Indeed, I did! The crab cakes were seasoned perfectly...garlic, onion, parmesan cheese, and just a lovely hint of mustard. He used Ritz crackers instead of breadcrumbs which gave the cakes a more buttery taste. He knew enough to have the oil at the right temperature so the cakes were crispy, golden and not greasy at all. WOW! Though the crab cakes were the center of attention, I can't forget to mention the potato au gratin...creamy, cheesy and oh-so-good. What a wonderful combination.

That night, I ate like a queen--relaxed, content, with no flour on my cheek or grease spot on my blouse. I was in heaven. I couldn't stop complimenting the chef. And impolitely, smacked my lips a couple of times. After supper, I told him to go inside and read the newspaper, I'd clean the kitchen. And I did it gladly. What a treat. What a meal. What a guy. That night as we snuggled before falling asleep, Steve whispered, "Honey, I think I already know what I'm going to cook next." I started to sweat.

CRAB CAKES
1 egg
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 teaspoons dijon mustard
12 oz crabmeat, flaked, picked through
1 teaspoon garlic powder
20 Ritz crackers, coarsely crushed
OR 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1/3 cup parmesan cheese
2 green onions, sliced
fresh parsley
1/2 cup oil (peanut or vegetable)for frying
Beat egg and mayonnaise in a large bowl. Add mustard, garlic powder, cheese, parsley & onions. Mix well. Add crackers. Mix. Add crabmeat. Mix gently. Let stand 3 minutes. Shape into cakes. Heat oil and fry crab cakes 4 minutes on each side. Place on paper towel to drain. Makes approx. 16 cakes

Enjoy! Remember To Make Memories At The Table