Sebastian the Crab.

When I was a young girl, I identified crabs with one thing and one thing only...Sebastian the crab, you know...the little red crab with the Jamaican accent from The Little Mermaid. Wait was he a crab? And did he have a Jamaican accent? Let's just go with yes. Anyway, I was totally Ariel and all I wanted to do was grow a fin and swim with my crab buddies like Sebastian. I would even sing "Under the Sea" in my bubble bath at the top of my lungs...I still do this, only with different songs. Ha! 

As I grew older I learned that you could actually eat crabs, which made me kind of sad for little guys like Sebastian, but once I had my first bite of crab...of course, it was dipped in melted butter, I was SOLD! However, I have this peeve about edible things with shells...I would rather not do all the work to get this tiny piece of meat. Thankfully, we have people who crack those crabs open for us so that we can have all the crab meat that we want. 

That is where crab cakes come into play. Now, I have had my fair share of crab cakes during my life time, some so caked up with filler that they are unidentifiable, and then there are those crab cakes where you can actually taste the crab meat, so flavorful, it just melts in your mouth. 

These are those kind of crab cakes. 

Seriously, bursting with flavor from the parsley and cilantro, with a spicy kick from the Dijon, and what do ya know? 

They are healthy.

Oh, and to top them off...a Jalapeno Chimichurri Salsa.

 

Because I just love the word Chimichurri.

No big deal.

Special thanks to my uncle B-rad for supplying the crab meat!

Is it Friday yet? These would pair wonderfully with a margarita!

Spicy Dijon Crab Cakes with Jalapeno Chimichurri Sauce (GF):

Ingredients:

For the crab cakes:

1 pound (16 oz.) of fresh crab meat 

1/4 c. fresh cilantro, roughly chopped

1/4 c. fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped

1/2 c. celery, finely diced

3 T. non-fat Greek yogurt

3 T. Dijon mustard

1/4 c. almond flour (add more if the cakes are holding together)

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

For the chimichurri:

4 cloves of garlic

1 large jalapeno pepper, discarded of seeds

1 bunch of fresh cilantro

1 bunch of fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley

1/4 c. white wine vinegar

1/2 c. extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 t. salt

Instructions:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients (except salt and pepper) for the crab cakes, using your hands, until everything comes together into a large ball. Taste test, add salt and pepper as needed.

3. Form patties with the crab mixture. Place each patty on the prepared baking sheet. 

4. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or until slightly firm. 

5. Bake for 16-18 minutes, flipping half way through so that each side is lightly golden brown. Optional: Skip the oven, put 2 tablespoons of evoo in a non-stick skillet on the oven over medium heat, brown the crab cakes for 2-3 minutes on each side. 

6. For the chimichurri, pulse the garlic and jalapeno on high until chopped. Add the cilantro, parsley, vinegar, evoo, and salt. Pulse until herbs are finely chopped and the sauce is smooth.

7. Serve the crab cakes over a bed of the sauce, or drizzle with the sauce...or hell, both is fine with me!

Makes 11-12 crab cakes and about 3/4 c. sauce.

MANGIA!!!