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Chardonnay


WEST COAST CRAB CAKES WITH GRAPEFRUIT SAUCE


MAKES 8 CRAB CAKES; SERVES 8 AS A FIRST COURSE OR 4 AS A MAIN COURSE

The sleepy seaside village of Mendocino, California, puts on a crab festival every January. Recently, I was invited to judge the crab cake competition. We tasted twenty crab cake entries in search of the best, and this recipe is based on what I learned that day. These crab cakes call for Dungeness crab meat because of its naturally sweet, buttery flavor. Juicy grapefruit accents the crab flavor and cuts the richness of the butter sauce. Serve these crab cakes with a simple mixed green salad lightly dressed with vinaigrette.

Crab Cakes:

1 large egg
1 tablespoon heavy (whipping) cream
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt
Pinch of cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh chives
1 pound fresh Dungeness crabmeat, pulled apart into 1/2-inch chunks, not completely shredded
1/2 cup fine fresh bread crumbs
1/2 cup dried bread crumbs

Grapefruit Sauce:

1/2 cup fresh grapefruit juice
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 medium shallots, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
3/4 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes

For Sautéing:

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons vegetable oil


Garnish:

Pink grapefruits, peeled and sectioned, one chopped and one
left in whole sections

To make the crab cakes, beat egg in a medium mixing bowl. Add cream, mustard, salt, cayenne, and chives and mix well. Add crabmeat and fresh bread crumbs. Mix gently, being careful not to break up crab too much.

Spread dried bread crumbs on a baking sheet. Divide crab mixture into 8 crab cakes, shaping them into patties about 3/4 inch thick and 3 inches in diameter. Squeeze well to remove any excess liquid. Using a spatula, roll crab cakes in dried bread crumbs to coat on all sides and place on a large plate. Cover crab cakes with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 4 hours.

While crab cakes are chilling, make the sauce: In a heavy saucepan over high heat combine grapefruit juice, vinegar, and shallots and bring to a boil. Cook until reduced to about 2 tablespoons of liquid, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper.

Reduce heat to low and begin adding cubes of cold butter, 1 or 2 at a time, to shallot mixture, whisking constantly. Wait until they’re absorbed before adding more; sauce should thicken, but butter should not melt. (If pan begins to get very hot, remove it from heat and add some of the butter cubes off the heat so the sauce cools slightly.) Remove sauce from heat as soon as the last butter cube is added.

Strain sauce through a fine-mesh strainer if smoother consistency is desired. Taste for seasoning. Keep sauce warm in a double boiler or thermos and serve as soon as possible.

Preheat oven to 300°F. Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter with 1 tablespoon of the oil in a medium nonstick skillet or griddle over medium-high heat. Add 4 crab cakes and cook until golden brown on both sides, 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Be careful when turning them so they stay together. Transfer to a baking sheet and place in oven to keep warm. Melt remaining 1 tablespoon butter with remaining 1 tablespoon oil and cook rest of crab cakes in the same way.

To serve, place small mound of chopped grapefruit in center of each serving plate and arrange 1 or 2 crab cakes on top, overlapping slightly if serving more than one. Spoon some sauce on top and around cakes. Garnish with whole grapefruit sections, arranging them around the perimeter of each plate, and serve immediately.

* WINE PAIRING: Pour a crisp, lively Chardonnay with this dish—it will highlight the interesting citrus flavors.

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