In my kitchen, a pound of crab meat can go pretty far. At least two meals. Make the crab filling and use it to stuff fish fillets and to make crab cakes.

Crab Filling

1 pound Lump crab meat
1/2 cup chopped green onion
2 celery stalks, finely chopped
1/2 cup minced red bell pepper
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 teaspoons seafood (Old Bay) seasoning

Directions

Whisk together the mayonnaise, mustard, minced garlic, fresh parsley, lemon juice, pepper and Old Bay seasoning.
Stir in the onion, celery and bell pepper. Gently fold in the crab meat, without breaking up the lumps. Set aside one cup of the mixture for the stuffed flounder and reserve the rest for crab cakes.

Crab Stuffed Flounder

Place the fish and sauce over cooked pasta or squash noodles. Serve with a tomato salad to complete the dinner.

Ingredients

2 large or 4 small slices flounder fillets, about 12 oz total
1 cup crab filling
4 teaspoons butter
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme

Lemon Cream Sauce, recipe below

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Oil an 8-inch baking dish.
Place the flounder on a piece of wax paper. Arrange the crab mixture lengthwise down the wider section of the fillets. Starting from the thinner edge of the fillet, fold over the long way. Place the stuffed fillets in the baking dish and sprinkle each with cayenne pepper and thyme.

Place a teaspoon of butter on top of each fish fillet.


Bake for 15 minutes.
Make the sauce while the fish bakes. Pour over the cooked fish and serve.

Baked Crab Cakes

Ingredients

Crab Filling from above, about 2 cups
1 cup fresh breadcrumbs
4 teaspoons butter

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Add the breadcrumbs to the crab filling and form the mixture into four patties. If you do not want to bake the patties immediately, they can be refrigerated, covered with plastic wrap, for several hours or overnight.

Place the patties in an oiled baking dish and place a teaspoon of butter on top of each crab cake. Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown. Serve with the lemon sauce.

Lemon Cream Sauce

This recipe makes enough sauce for both the stuffed flounder and the crab cakes.

Ingredients

1 shallot, chopped
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

To make the Lemon Cream Sauce

Melt the butter over medium heat in a small skillet, add the shallot and cook until softened. Add the cream and remaining ingredients. Whisk until thickened, about another minute or two.


Posted by in Cheese, crab, Fish, flounder, Healthy Italian Cooking, Herbs, lemon, lemon, Sauces, Vegetables Tags: ,