March 2010 Recipe of the Month

By Paula Hendricks - Nutritionist on March 3, 2010

Crab Cakes with Greens and Sauce– Makes 4 Servings

 If you thought traditional crab cakes were not on your diet menu, you were right – too many bread crumbs and too much fat.  Good news though…I have created a crab cake recipe that you can make yourself without deviating from your weight loss and health goals.  They are pretty simple to make and fresh crab is easy to find in the refrigerated section of your local store.  My family and friends have been enjoying my crab cake experiments this past month and with good feedback – I think I have it right now. Enjoy on all Key Diets.

Ingredients -

For the Crab Cakes:

• 1 lb cooked fresh crabmeat, either shelled by you, or in a container from the fish section or refrigerated section of the grocery store.  I like Phillip’s Crab in a can from Whole Foods’ refrigerated section.
• 1 cup finely ground pork rinds (Chiccarrones) – about 4 cups of whole rinds. I like to use either Mission brand, which can be found at most grocery stores, or Domingo’s, which is sold at Whole Foods.
• One egg, uncooked
• 1 T. each olive oil and mayonnaise
• 1 T. Dijon mustard
• 2 tsp Made in Napa Valley Fish and Shellfish Herb Rub Seasoning – sold in our office (or other seasoning of choice – be careful with salt amount in seasoning as the pork rinds tend to be a bit salty)
• 2 T. freshly minced cilantro
• One whole lemon; save the lemon for 1-2 tsp. lemon zest and put aside 1 T. for the sauce

For the Sauce:

• 5 T. Greek style yogurt, plain
• 1 T.  mayonnaise
• 1 T. lemon juice
• 1 small garlic clove, minced
• Dash of Fish and Shellfish Herb Rub Seasoning
• Dash of crushed red pepper (optional)

 Instructions:

1. Mix the ingredients for the sauce together and place in fridge to keep cool.
2. Put crab in a bowl and add the juice of one lemon (less 1 T.).  Mix and set aside. 
3. Crack the egg into a mixing bowl and whip thoroughly.  Slowly add the olive oil and mayonnaise; whip until smooth.  Add the Dijon mustard, herb seasoning, cilantro, lemon zest and optional jalapenos.
4. Mix in the ground pork rinds until the ingredients are wet.
5. Drain the lemon juice from crab and add it to the mix.  Break up any larger pieces. 
6. Form the mix into 12 individual crab cakes and place them on a piece of waxed paper that has been sprayed with some non-stick spray.
7.  Heat a griddle, spray with non-stick spray, and place the crab cakes on the hot griddle and cook on each side for about 4-5 minutes each.  Be careful when turning as they are fragile.
8. Serve on a plate with a side salad of either arugula or thinly sliced cabbage. 

Variations:  Add minced red peppers, chives, or fennel for a different flavor.    Substitute the cilantro for parsley or other spice.  Reduce the fat by omitting the mayonnaise in the sauce.  Don’t like pork rinds.  Replace with low-carb bread crumbs or crackers (not for the VLCD).  

Nutritional Value:  Each serving contains approximately 265 calories, 32 grams of protein, 14 grams of fat and only 1 gram of carbohydrates.

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