Category: pescatarian

Collaborative Effort: Crabcake Egg Rolls With Spicy Pineapple Dipping Sauce

Crabcake egg rolls in collaboration with spicy pineapple dipping sauce. And yes, my crabcake recipe is the best one. #IYDKNYK

Collaboration is a funny thing. Everyone claims to want to do it, but in reality, the bare fact of working with another person to create something together is infinitely challenging. This applies to everything from creative work to child-rearing; it seems as if in collaboration, there is always the potential for someone to feel like they have not been heard, respected, or valued in a partnership.

KWeeks and I are trying to feel our way into creative collaboration. It makes sense that this is a step we would take. Even if our respective creative practices are quite different, many of our sensibilities align, and where they don’t it’s possible to find some fertile ground.

Our first “collaboration,” of sorts, was building a camping platform in New Brunswick, Canada – a bit of a struggle until we figured out that one person needed to be in charge each day. In the end, the final product is something we are both proud of, even if the road to it was sometimes rough.

And now we are feeling our way towards a new collaboration, a creative one, that is embryonic and still being negotiated and not even more than something ethereal. It feels good to think this way, in love and creative partnership with my person. I am most grounded when I have found a home in someone, and KWeeks feels like that.

The idea of “home” comes up frequently in our conversations. KWeeks isn’t exactly nomadic, but he has managed to move at specific times in his life in a way that prevented him from ever feeling too attached to one place.

I, on the other hand, spent the first 25 years of my life in Maryland. I camped every summer in Assateague and roamed the mountains in western Maryland for my formative years. I am attached to this region in a way that is cellular, and much of this is grounded in food of this region, particularly the beautiful swimmers – Maryland blue crab.

It has been two years since I have had crab, and those who know know that fall crab is the best, fatter than the lean crabs of spring and early summer. Years ago, right around this time, I did what was long overdue and created my own crabcake recipe in the form of Maryland Crabcakes With Green Papaya, Carrot, and Jicama Slaw With Pineapple Vinaigrette.

This past weekend, KWeeks and I had a brief sojourn at John Cage Memorial Park in Chance, Maryland, continuing to feel our way towards a potential collaborative project. We picked up two pounds of jumbo lump crab from a roadside stand called How Sweet It Is on the way home, and this recipe is a result of that sweet, delectable bounty from the Chesapeake.

Eating these crabcake egg rolls is a bit like coming home for me – sweet, fresh crab barely held together with minimal binding and just a hint of Old Bay, wrapped in a gluten-free rice wrapper and fried. The spicy sweetness of pineapple and chili complement the crab and the crispy wrapper.

Ultimately, the goal in this life (and the search for home in food, in people, and in place) seems best summed up in a quote from John cage himself:

“Our intention is to affirm this life, not to bring order out of chaos, nor to suggest improvements in creation, but simply to wake up to the very life we’re living, which is so excellent once one gets one’s mind and desires out of its way and lets it act of its own accord.”

Crabcake Egg Rolls With Spicy Pineapple Sauce

(makes 10 spring rolls)

Khristian – not a native Marylander but a smart man nonetheless – reminds me that your crabcakes are only as good as your crab. Make every effort to find local crab, caught in the Bay and picked on the Shore. You’ll be very glad you did.

Ingredients

2 teaspoon Old Bay

¼ cup chopped fresh parsley

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 slice bread without crusts, torn into small bits (see Recipe Notes)

1 tablespoon mayonnaise

1 egg

1 pound jumbo lump crab

10 spring roll wrappers (rice)

½ cup fresh pineapple

½ cup chili garlic sauce (see Recipe Notes)

¼ cup water

Method

Start with the crabcake mixture. You can make this a day ahead if you like, but fresh is best.

Combine Old Bay, parsley, mustard, bread, mayonnaise, and egg in a large bowl. Stir well to combine.

Add crabmeat and mix with your hands very, very gently until the mixture is completely combined. Keep in ‘fridge until ready to make the spring rolls.

For the sauce, combine fresh pineapple, chili sauce, and water in a saucepan. Heat to a simmer, then pop in a blender and blend until smooth. Set aside.

There are multiple ways to fry these. If you have one of those countertop fryers, have at it, and follow the directions for that.

I used a wide, straight-sided saucepan and about two inches of oil. If you are following this method, use a splatter guard, and heat your oil to 350 degrees before you fry.

While your oil is heating, prepare the spring rolls.

FULL DISCLOSURE: My technique SUCKS. It’s ok, because I don’t do this very often (fried or unfried spring rolls), but the more you do it, the better your results will be. So practice by making lots and lots of these.

Grab a wide bowl of hot water. Place the spring roll wrapper in the hot water until it softens – probably not more than 30 seconds. Lay the wrapper on a flat surface, and spoon a generous two tablespoons of the crab just inside the edge closest to you. Roll away from yourself once, fold in the sides, then continue rolling. Tight spring rolls = less chance of bursting and more even browning.

Keep rolling until all the crab is used. Don’t let the spring rolls touch each other while they wait for the frying pan – they will stick and tear each other and then you’ll just have to eat crabcakes.

When your oil is ready, slip spring rolls into their bath, only as many as you can fry at once without them touching. Fry for about five to seven minutes total – until the outside is golden brown.

Remove to a plate covered with paper towels and allow to drain.

Serve HOT, with spicy pineapple sauce on the side.

Recipe Notes

Real Maryland crabcakes use white bread or saltines as a binder. I am a born-and-bred Marylander who happens to be gluten-free, so I used gluten-free bread, and it worked just fine.

You could definitely get high-tech and make your own chili garlic sauce. I chose to leave that to the professionals and used Huy Fong Chili Garlic Sauce, which is delicious and perfect.

The Renewal: Wild Salmon With Bok Choy, Snap Peas, Fennel, And Crispy Mushrooms

Salmon with bok choy, snap peas, fennel, and crispy mushrooms to greet the new moon.

2020 was the year we all became experts on how far a sneeze can travel in a grocery store.

It was also the year I learned that you cannot erase all of your “recents” documents without actually erasing the document completely from everywhere on your computer, and that because MacBook Pro’s default setting is to encrypt every document you produce, it is nearly impossible to recover anything once you have erased your entire desktop.

Sigh. Par for the course in 2020. Another continuation in a long line of personal losses – of people, of things, of writing.

But. There are still things to be done. Earlier this year I began doing some recipe development for my friend Martha of Full Moon Acupuncture for her School of Renewal.

This Renewal is not a detox or a cleanse. It is not intended to make you feel deprived or hollowed out. It is a chance to re-evaluate what it means to feel truly nourished in all ways – through food, practice, and creativity.

The Renewal begins this Thursday on the New Moon, an excellent time to turn in and reset, to begin something new and set intentions. There is time to sign up still – Martha is offering both self-paced and guided options – and I can tell you that this course (and the person offering it) is something special.

This recipe is one of a couple dozen I developed, the first one, as a matter of fact, and when I put it down in front of KWeeks his comment was, “This is part of a cleanse?!” It is rich and decadent and so very delicious but also good for you and soul-satisfying.

Salmon with Bok Choy, Snap Peas, and Fennel (and Crispy Roasted Mushrooms)
(serves 4)

This decadent dish takes a little time and so works best when you are able to slow down and savor not only the final meal but also the process of making it. Packed with nutrient-dense salmon and vegetables, the Five Tastes, from sweet to sour and a crucial part of the traditional Chinese medicine school of nutritional support, are well represented here.

Ingredients

1 teaspoon coriander seed
3 tablespoons ghee OR olive oil
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
1 garlic clove minced (about 1 teaspoon)
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
8 ounces snap peas
1 pound bok choy, washed and cut into 2” pieces
1 fennel bulb, top cut off and bulb cut into ¼” pieces (see Recipe Notes)
4 skin-on wild salmon filets, or one two-pound whole filet (see Recipe Notes)
Olive oil (for salmon)
Salt and pepper (for salmon)
Lemon wedges (for serving)
Crispy Roasted Mushrooms (optional, see recipe below)

Method

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line one large baking sheet with parchment paper (you can use lightly greased aluminum foil if you prefer) and another large sheet if you are roasting the mushrooms. Set aside.

Heat a dry sauté pan and add coriander. Swirl coriander in the pan until it becomes fragrant, just a minute or two. This is not required but brings more flavor out of your spices.

In a small bowl, combine coriander, ghee/olive oil, ginger, garlic, apple cider vinegar, salt, and pepper. Mix and set aside.

Place snap peas, bok choy, and fennel in a large mixing bowl and pour the coriander dressing over them. Stir vegetables to coat (you can use your hands). Taste to check for salt and pepper.

Pour vegetables onto baking sheet, saving space for your salmon. It is ok if the vegetables are on top of each other. Slide into preheated oven and set the timer for 10 minutes.

At 10 minutes, it’s time to put the salmon in the oven.

If you are brining your salmon, pat dry and place on baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Give your veggies a stir, then place salmon on baking sheet to cook, skin side down. Total cooking time is around 20 to 25 minutes (20 minutes for veg, and ten or so minutes for salmon).

When the fish is cooked the way you like it, remove the sheet from oven.

Serve with lemon wedges and top with Crispy Roasted Mushrooms.

Recipe Notes

• To prepare fennel, cut the tops off and freeze for vegetable stock. Cut the bulb in half from top to bottom and remove the core (it’s tough and not tasty). Place the flat side on your cutting board and cut into ¼” pieces.
• A few notes on salmon. Wild salmon in season is always more economical than out of season. The most affordable kind of salmon, with less fat and a milder flavor, is keta. Coho, sockeye, Copper River, and King salmon are intensely flavorful fish but can be quite expensive. Most are available frozen year-round.
• Salmon releases albumin when cooked. This harmless protein can be unappetizing to look at. If you would like to minimize this in your fish, brine salmon for 10 minutes before cooking in a solution of 1 tablespoon of salt per cup of water. When ready to cook, pat salmon dry and proceed to cook as directed.

Crispy Roasted Mushrooms

These are easy and delicious, good for snacking and adding texture and umami to food. They can also be added to salads and lunch wraps; the recipe easily doubles.

Ingredients

One pound assorted mushrooms, sliced (shitake, oyster, cremini, etc)
2 teaspoons dried marjoram
½ cup olive oil
Salt, to taste

Method

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

In a large bowl, toss mushrooms, marjoram, and olive oil until thoroughly mixed.

Pour onto baking sheet, making sure the mushrooms have plenty of room.

Roast for around 15 to 20 minutes until crispy.

Remove from oven and sprinkle with salt to taste.