Awesome Crab-cakes with Salad Recipe

To prepare the Crabcakes:
Place the crab meat, chopped chives, minced bell pepper, lime juice, mayonnaise, Togarashi, Magroot leaf and ¼ cup bread crumbs in a non-reactive mixing bowl. Toss lightly together and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Fill 3 - 2 ¾" bottomless ring molds with the crab mixture and pack tightly. Dust the tops and bottoms of the molds with the remaining ¼ cup of bread crumbs. The Crabcakes may be kept in a refrigerator until ready to sauté and serve.

Just prior to serving, sauté the Crabcakes in the molds in a very hot pan in clarified butter (Ghee) for 1-2 minutes on each side until golden brown. Blot on paper towel (or drain on parchment paper) and carefully remove molds.

To serve:
Place a generous swirl of the Chipotle Hollandaise on each plate and place a Crabcake on top. Drizzle the plate with Lemon-infused Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Place 3 large Cilantro leaves on the plate and cross the top of the Crabcake with 2 whole chives.

Ingredients notes:
Dungeness crab is seasonal and only available on the US West Coast. You may substitute Peekytoe crabmeat, or any other firm crabmeat available. We also use Phillips® Backfin crabmeat, which is available, canned and refrigerated, at Costco.

Togarashi is a Japanese condiment that is available in small shaker vials at most Japanese or Asian specialty stores. It is a combination of chili pepper, black and white sesame seeds, orange peel, ginger and seaweed that adds a very special and unique flavor to the Crabcakes.

Ghee is clarified butter that can be found in most Indian specialty markets. We prefer it because it has a much higher flash point than regular butter, and doesn't smoke or burn as easily, while still adding authentic butter flavor.

Magroot (Kaffir Lime) is a lime variety indigenous to Thailand. The leaves have a very unique citrus flavor and are frequently used in Thai cooking. They may be found fresh or frozen in many Oriental specialty markets.

Chipotle is the dried, smoked Jalapeno pepper frequently used in Mexican cuisine. It is available in Mexican specialty markets, canned in an Adobo sauce. To use, pour the contents of a can in a food processor or blender and process until a smooth paste is formed. The paste will keep, refrigerated, and can be used to add flavor and spice to a wide variety of dishes.

Lemon-infused Extra Virgin Olive Oil is made by adding the oil from lemons to extra virgin olive oil. It is generally bottled in Italy (some is now being made in California), and is available in better gourmet specialty markets.