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Father’s Day Brunch, Part 2: Crab Cakes and Mussels

Yesterday I posted a couple of the recipes we used for our Father’s Day brunch. Today, I’ll continue with some of the things we made. This time, I’ll cover the seafood we made with crab cakes and steamed mussels. Both are pretty easy to make; they just require some paying attention so you don’t overcook them.

Crab Cakes

1 pound fresh or pasteurized crab meat, picked over for shell pieces

6 tablespoons plain breadcrumbs

4 scallions, green parts only, minced

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley or basil

1 1/2 teaspoons Old Bay Seasoning

1/4 cup mayonnaise

Salt and pepper

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup vegetable oil

Gently toss the crab, 4 tablespoons of the breadcrumbs, the scallions, parsley and Old Bay together in a large bowl. Add the mayonnaise and gently combine using a rubber spatula. Season the crab mixture with salt and pepper to taste. Gently fold in the egg. If necessary, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of breadcrumbs as needed until the mixture just clings together. Divide the crab mixture into equal portions and shape each into patties. Transfer the patties to a large, plastic-wrap-lined plate. Cover with plastic wrap and chill until the patties are firm, about 30 minutes.

Spread the flour in a shallow dish. Coat the crab cakes lightly with the flour. Heat the oil in a large, non-stick skillet until shimmering. Gently lay the chilled crab cakes into the skillet and cook until crisp and brown on both sides, about 10 minutes. Serve with lemon wedges or tartar sauce.

You can make the patties the night before and chill them overnight if you want. Chilling them really helps to firm them up and they hold together much better as they are cooking. I tend to go with the less is more as far as ingredients for crab cakes. So many that you get have way too much seasoning, vegetables, or especially breadcrumbs that you can’t even taste the crab meat. This one recipe seems to work the best to make delicious crab cakes.

On to the steamed mussels. These are great as an appetizer, but would also be great for a main course over pasta or rice with some crunchy bread to help you soak up the broth.

Steamed Mussels with White Wine and Garlic

5 tablespoons butter

3 shallots, minced

6 garlic cloves, minced

2 cups dry white wine or vermouth

1 bay leaf

4 pounds mussels, scrubbed and debearded

1/2 cup minced fresh parsley

Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and cook until softened, about 2 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Add the wine and bay leaf. Bring to a simmer and cook for 3 minutes to let the flavors blend.

Increase the heat to high and add the mussels. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mussels open, about 5 to 10 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the mussels to a large serving bowl, discarding any that refuse to open. Whisk the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter and parsley into the broth, then pour the broth over the mussels.

A couple of quick notes about mussels. Most mussels and clams you buy nowadays are farmed and pretty clean already, so you don’t have to worry too much about grit. Many are even debearded already, but you want to check them and make sure if they need it. If they do, you can simply pull the beard away with your fingers or a butter knife. When you buy the mussels, give them a smell. If they don’t smell clean, don’t buy them. The shells should also appear to be moist. Don’t use any that have a cracked shell. Store them set over ice in a bowl in the fridge and plan to use them the same day you bought them. Most importantly, if any don’t open, don’t eat it, it’s a bad mussel and not worth the stomach ache you will have after eating it. There are always a few that don’t open, and 4 pounds yields a lot of mussels, so don’t sweat it. (I wish I had gotten a picture of the mussels, but I didn’t sorry.)

Okay, so we’ve covered the seafood, the sausage and the quiche. Tomorrow I’ll go over the coffee cake, banana bread and fruit salad and I think we’ll have covered everything. I am making trout tonight, so I’ll post that recipe on Wednesday. Check back tomorrow for the tasty cake recipes. Until then, enjoy your day and enjoy your meal!

A Father’s Day Feast for Brunch

17 Jun

Happy Father’s Day to all the dads out there. We decided to do a brunch for Father’s Days and have everyone over here for it. We made quite a bit of food, and of course I didn’t think about taking pictures of everything until after people had already started eating, so I apologize in advance for the pictures. We put out quite a buffet spread and I’ll share some the recipes here today. We made corned beef hash and home fries, both of which I have posted recipes on before. We also made pancakes, which I have posted on before and scrambled eggs. We did make a few things that I haven’t posted recipes on before, which I will share over the next few days. We made a Sausage Gravy with Biscuits, A Cheese and Onion Quiche, Crabcakes, Steamed Mussels, a Blueberry Coffee Cake, Banana Bread and a Fruit Salad. For today, I’ll tackle the Sausage Gravy and the quiche.

Sausage Gravy

8 ounces pork sausage

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 1/3 cups milk

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 package refrigerated buttermilk biscuits (you can certainly make your own, but we were pinched for space and time and opted for Pillsbury.)

Preheat the oven 350 degrees. Place biscuits on a cookie sheet and bake for 14 to 17 minutes until golden brown. Cook the sausage in a large skillet over medium heat, stirring until it crumbles and is no longer pink. Remove the sausage and drain on a paper towel-lined plate, reserving 1 tablespoon of the drippings in the skillet. Whisk the flour into the hot drippings until smooth; cook, whisking constantly, for 1 minute. Gradually whisk in the milk, and cook, whisking constantly, for 5 to 7 minutes or until thickened. Stir in the sausage, salt and pepper. Serve over warm biscuits.

The quiche was just as easy, although we did cheat a little and used a pre-made refrigerated crust for the shell.

Cheese and Onion Quiche

1 pre-made pie crust (you can certainly make your own if you like)

4 tablespoons butter

6 cups thinly sliced onion

Salt and freshly ground pepper

1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

6 eggs at room temperature

2 cups cheddar cheese

2 cups cream, half-and-half or milk, heated gently until warm

Heat the oven to 425 degrees and set the rack in the middle. Prebake the chilled crust until the crust begins to brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove and let cool on a rack while you prepare the filling. Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees.

Put the butter in a large skillet over medium heat; when the butter melts. add the onion and some salt and pepper. Turn the heat up to medium-high and cook, stirring frequently, until the onion is very soft and lightly browned, at least 20 minutes; adjust the heat so it doesn’t brown or crisp up, but just cook it until the onion practically melts. Add the thyme and stir, turn off the heat and cool slightly. Combine the remaining ingredients in a bowl and then add the onion mixture.

Put the semi-cooked shell on a baking sheet and pour in the egg mixture. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until almost firm (it should still jiggle just a little in the middle) and lightly browned on top; reduce the oven heat if the edges of the shell are darkening too quickly. Cool on a wire rack; serve warm or at room temperature.

There are many more things you could add to the quiche to suit your tastes. You could add some bacon, mushrooms, or any variety of vegetables that you might like, such as broccoli, asparagus, peppers, tomatoes, spinach, really nearly anything you want. Make sure the vegetables are parboiled and cooled before you add them to the eggs and don’t overcrowd it by adding too many things.

That’s all I have time to talk about today. Tomorrow I will go over some more recipes from the menu – the crabcakes and the mussels. Check back tomorrow for those recipes. Until then, enjoy your Father’s Day and enjoy your meal!