Archive for March 12th, 2010
seafood recipes
Sourse:Seafood Salad Recipe
Small Plates: Crabby Falafel 'Sliders'
This post is part of our Small Plates series, which is brought to you by California Pizza Kitchen.
Falafel sandwiches with crab, fennel, and harrissa mayonnaise. [Photographs: J. Kenji Lopez-Alt]
I admit it up front: this is one of those wacky dishes that comes from a lot of places in general, and nowhere in particular. A plate that Archie Bunker would describe as “one of them things that's got a little too much of both, and not enough of neither.”
Fortunately, we're all a bit more open-minded than Archie, especially when it comes to deliciousness.
I'd never considered the prospect of a non-vegetarian falafel—particularly not one that combines falafel with seafood—until I read Cathy and Tony Mantuano's Wine Bar Food. In it, Tony Mantuano, chef at Chicago's Spiaggia presents Mediterranean-inspired small plates ranging from the highly involved (Crispy Lamb Shoulder with Peas and Mint), to the exceedingly simple (Baked Caciocavallo Cheese).
These crab and chickpea “sliders”* start with a slightly streamlined, miniaturized version of Mantuano's Falafel Crab Cakes (I use canned chickpeas, tweak the spice blend to make it more sandwich-friendly, and add a tiny bit of flour to help the patties hold together more easily during the frying stage), which he describes as from “southern Spain, which owes many culinary inspirations to the Moors of Northern Africa.”
* I've included quotes, because around these parts, it's dangerous to call anything a slider.
While he matches his North-Africa-via-Spain crab cakes with Greek tzatziki in an odd but delicious combination, for my New England palate, a tangy, mayo-based sauce is the perfect complement to fried seafood. In another nod to the Moors, I spike my mayo (store-bought does just fine) with a heavy does of spicy harissa, the chile-based North African condiment that lends merguez, Moroccan cous-cous, and lablabi their characteristic complex heat.
For crunch, a good Bibb lettuce would be fine, but I like the crispness and slight aniseed scent of shaved fennel. Flatbread or a North African-style roll might be good, but Martin's continues to prove itself and the King of all sandwich breads. Their party-sized buns have a soft, mild sweetness that goes perfectly with the naturally sweet crab meat.
Plus, as my diminutive wife will attest to, all the best things come in fun-sized packages.
Crabby Falafel 'Sliders'
- makes 12 sliders -
Note: Martin's party sized rolls come in packs of 24. Extra rolls can be wrapped in foil, placed in a zipper-lock freezer bag, and frozen for up to 3 months. Alternatively, the crab cake recipe is easily doubled. Avoid using canned, pasteurized crab meat if possible—it is far inferior to fresh-picked crab meat. Crab cakes can be made without food processor by mashing the chickpeas with a potato masher until rough paste forms, and finely chopping cilantro, scallions, jalapeño, and garlic before incorporating along with remaining ingredients listed in step 1.
Ingredients
One (14.4 ounce) can chickpeas beans, drained
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 cup loosely packed, roughly chopped cilantro leaves
2 scallions, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest, from 1 lemon
1/2 jalapeño pepper, seeds and ribs removed, chopped fine (optional)
1 garlic clove, peeled and grated on microplane or passed through garlic press
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 pound fresh picked lump blue crab meat
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 fennel bulb, cored, and thinly sliced on a mandoline
1 tablespoon juice from 1 lemon
1/2 cup olive oil
12 slider-sized potato rolls, toasted
1/2 cup harissa aioli (recipe follows)
Procedure
1. Place chickpeas, baking powder, cumin, cilantro, scallions, lemon zest, jalapeño (if desired), garlic clove, and flour in bowl of food processor. Pulse until mixture holds together, but chunky bits of chickpea still remain, about 8-10 one-second pulses (do not process into paste). Transfer mixture to large bowl and gently fold in crab meat. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and mix again until homogenous.
2. Toss shaved fennel with lemon juice and olive oil in medium bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Form crab mixture into 12 equal portions and form into patties roughly two inches across. Refrigerate crab cakes and fennel until ready for use, up to 8 hours.
3. Heat remaining oil in heavy-bottomed 12-inch non-stick or cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat until just beginning to smoke. Carefully add crab patties (if oil continues to smoke after crab patties are added, reduce heat to medium). Cook, gently shaking pan occasionally until deep golden brown, 2-4 minutes. Carefully flip using tongs, and continue to cook, gently shaking pan occasionally, until golden brown on second side, 2-4 minutes. Transfer cooked patties to plate lined with double layer of paper towels.
4. spread harissa mayonnaise evenly over bun tops and bottoms. Place a small pile of shaved fennel over each bun bottom. Top with crab patties, close sandwich, and serve immediately.
Harissa Mayonnaise
- makes 1/2 cup -
Note: Harissa is a spicy North African condiment made with chiles, spices, and vegetables. It can be found in cans or jars in the international aisle of many supermarkets, or is available online. I recommend DEA brand harissa, which balances out chile heat with complex vegetal flavors, and comes in a resealable metal tube.
Ingredients
5 tablespoons mayonnaise
3 tablespoons harissa paste
1 teaspoon juice from 1 lemon
Procedure
1. Mix all ingredients in small mixing bowl and whisk to combine. Store in airtight container, refrigerated, for up to 1 week.
About the author: Become a fan of The Food Lab on Facebook for play-by-plays on future kitchen tests and recipe experiments. After graduating from MIT, J. Kenji Lopez-Alt spent many years as a chef, recipe developer, writer, and editor in Boston. He now lives in New York with his wife, where he runs a private chef business, KA Cuisine, and co-writes the blog GoodEater.org about sustainable food enjoyment.
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It was a few years ago when I was introduced to the wonder that is the Pio Pio sauce. A Peruvian restaurant in New York City, Pio Pio serves juicy, affordable rotisserie chicken. But it was the vibrant green dipping sauce that I became addicted to.
I interrogated the waitstaff at almost every Pio Pio location to know the contents of this spicy sauce. The only consistent answer? That no answer was the same.
Jalapeños and mayo. No, no, aji chiles, cilantro and oil. I had to face the reality that either no one knew what was in the sauce, the ingredients were top-secret, or both.
Light green, medium-hot, creamy, salty, tangy and oh-so-addictive, it seems that every Peruvian restaurant has its own secret recipe for this mysterious condiment. An internet search for “Peruvian sauce” tells the story of dozens of people anxious to know how to make the sauce for themselves. Helpful bloggers post their recipes on message boards.
One says the secret is a head of lettuce, one swears the sauce cannot be made without evaporated milk, and several point to Peruvian black mint as the key ingredient.
I tried many, many recipes to come close to the magic of Pio Pio's sauce, none of which hit the mark. Finally, I brought a container from the restaurant into work, hoping someone else could reverse-engineer the ingredients. My obsession, along with my frustration, was building, and I needed a slight break from the sauce that taunted me.
Chile Pepper Editor-in-Chief Laura Dankowski took on the challenge, blending my scattered notes from past trials, along with her own hunch of what she tasted. We decided both jalapeños and aji paste (usually found in the Mexican section of grocery stores) were a must, and Laura hit on the addition of cheese, which added the necessary touch of saltiness. It's not exact—but pretty darn close.
At Pio Pio, the dip garnishes rotisserie chicken, crunchy-fried seafood platters and salchipapa, an unusual but delicious combination of deep-fried potatoes and sliced hot dogs. But I use the sauce for anything in the place of salsa, whether topping a burger, garnishing a breakfast burrito, or spreading on a piece of fish.
And I'm just glad I can finally stop harassing the Pio Pio employees for the recipe and make it on my own.
The Green Peruvian Dipping Sauce (aka Aji Amarillo Sauce) Recipe »
Additional writing by Laura Dankowski.
About the author: Andrea Lynn is senior editor for Chile Pepper magazine, where she not only creates a wide range of zesty recipes for readers, but also participates in numerous tastings for hot sauce, salsa, and other spice-laden products (even chocolate!). Her favorite chile? A tie between the mild yet flavorful poblano and the mighty, reliable fire of the serrano.
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