Crab Cakes

What to do when you have a random whole crab? Why, make crab cakes from scratch, of course! And so that is what I did one sleepy weekend.
The crab was boiled in salted water and allowed to cool completely. All the brown meat and white meat was then meticulously removed. I am very inexperienced in this matter so it took me around 45 minutes. I'd like to say it was worth it in terms of flavour but in hindsight I would probably buy fresh crabmeat from the fishmongers instead.

Cooking time: 10-15 minutes
Prep time: 20 minutes ( + 45 minutes for the crabmeat)

Serves 4

• 500g waxy potatoes
• 500g crabment (2 : 1 ratio of brown to white meat)
• 1 red chilli
• 1 spring onion
• 1 lemon
• olive oil
• salt and pepper
• 1 tsp paprika
• plain flour

Peel and dice the potatoes roughly. As they boil in some lightly salted water, mix the crabmeat with finely chopped chilli, spring onion and lemon zest. Drain the potatoes and allow the steam to evaporate and the potatoes to dry out a little. Incorporate with the rest of the mixture and season to taste with salt and pepper. Add 2 tbsp of olive oil to loosen and then mix together thoroughly with a masher.

Shape into a dozen patties. Set aside in the fridge to chill for a few hours or overnight to firm up. 

Heat 2 tsbp of olive oil in a frying pan. Scatter some plain flour onto the work surface and pat the crab cakes in a layer of flour before placing carefully into the pan. Take care not to overcrowd the pan though otherwise a crisp bottom will not form. Also, resist the temptation to continuously handle the cakes. The best results occur if there is no interaction until they are ready to be turned - around 5 minutes. Repeat on the other side; they may require another dash of olive oil into the pan at this stage. 

Serve piping hot.

Sirloin Steak with Peppercorn Sauce

This is quite a quick meal to make, but its expense makes it something for special occasions. It was recently Natalie's birthday, so I treated her to this. (All cooked up on a work night, I might add!)

Serves 2

For the steak:

• 2 sirloin steaks
• Olive oil
• Dried rosemary (or fresh, if you've got any)
• Salt and pepper

For the peppercorn sauce:

• 50ml brandy
• 50ml beef stock
• 2 tsp black peppercorns, roughly ground with a pestle and mortar
• 2 anchovy fillets, very finely chopped (optional)
• 150ml double cream
• 1.5 tsp Dijon mustard

To serve:

• Sautéed potatoes
• Rocket

(Note: If you're making sautéed potatoes, get them going first. They take longer than anything else in this recipe)

Rub the oil, dried rosemary, salt and pepper all over the steak. Heat a little olive oil in a frying pan (large enough for both steaks) over a medium-high heat, until the oil starts to smoke. Render the fat, by placing the fatty side of the steak on the frying pan for a few seconds, before putting each steak on the frying pan. Cook the steaks for 2-2.5 minutes, then flip, and cook for another 2-2.5 minutes (for medium-rare, see below* for more cooking times). Take both steaks off the heat, place the steaks on top of the potatoes, and leave them to rest for 5 minutes while you make the sauce.

To make the sauce, add the brandy to the same pan, and scrape up anything left behind from the steaks. Add the beef stock, black peppercorns and anchovies (if you're using them), and heat over a medium heat until reduced by half. Then add the double cream and Dijon mustard. Heat up again, and then pour over the steaks.

Finally, pop the rocket on the plate, and serve immediately.

*We did the steak medium-rare. If you like it done differently, these are typical times (although we haven't tried these, so we can't promise they'll work!)

• Rare: 1.5-2 minutes each side
• Medium: 3 minutes each side
• Well done: 4 minutes each side

Trout in breadcrumb blanket

We celebrated my return from GP land and the late Indian summer with a yummy trout recipe. This is an easily adaptable recipe so feel free to chop and change to suit your particular taste and accommodate what's available in the fridge!

Trout in Breadcrumb Blanket (Served with rustic carrot mash)

Oven time: approx 10-15 minutes

Prep time: 15 minutes

Serves 2

• 2 whole trout
• 2 mini loaves of onion bread (Co-op)
• 1 small red chilli
• 4 tbsp tomato and chilli chutney
• 6 tbsp olive oil
• 4 tbsp of fresh chives
• 1 tsp of fresh thyme
• 1 pinch of salt
• 1 pinch of pepper
• 1 pinch of sugar

Give the trout a good rinse. Carefully remove the backbone by easing the bones away from the flesh and butterflying from the tail. Pat dry and place on some baking paper which has been drizzled with some olive oil and a sprinkle of sea salt. The trout should be lying skin down, pink flesh facing upwards.

Dollop 2 tbsp of chutney on each of the trout and spread out evenly on to the flesh. Leave to marinade as you prepare the breadcrumb blanket. In a food processor or by hand, break up the onion bread in a rough crumb consistency. Mix well with a finely chopped chilli, chives and thyme. Add 6 tbsp of olive oil. Season with salt, pepper and sugar. Mix thoroughly by hand and press onto the trout - the chutney should help the mixture stick.

Bake in a pre-heated oven at 170 C for 10 minutes. Check that breadcrumbs are golden and crispy. It may need up to 15 minutes.