Crab Cakes with Honey Cilantro Sauce

I remember when I was first married and I was so excited to play house and start cooking.

I was determined to make a good ol' fashioned home cooked meal for my husband every night after he came home from work (well, only when I wasn't working as well!).

That's where my true passion for cooking started.

I was in love with the idea that you could make something from nothing.

Literally.

A piece of celery here, a carrot diced up there... it had the potential to become a huge stew bubbling away on the stove with a smell that could only be described as heavenly.

Another thing that drew me to cooking so much was the beauty of the food.

I love how absolutely gorgeous food can look, as well as taste.

How pretty it can be.

The colors, the textures, the different shapes of food on a plate is such an organic form of art.

Now I can't draw or paint or sing (I mean, I have been known to belt out a Kelly Clarkson song from time to time, but thankfully, only in the privacy of my own home... or car ), but my form of artistry is cooking.

If a dish I'm cooking looks too bland or has a lot of monotonous colors, I will be inspired by an herb or a brightly colored vegetable to liven it up, both for the visual and the taste.

Here's a prime example of how pretty your food can be.

Colors, textures, shapes.

This dish has got it all!

And please, it's easy.

I know I say that about most of the food I make, but it really is.

You can make the crab cakes ahead of time and then cook them when you're ready to eat.

Because these beauties need to go right from the pan and into your mouth.

--Cue the inappropriate mmmmmoaning--

Crab cakes always seem so fancy, don't they?

They're always one of the most expensive appetizers on a menu and I never order them, even though I LOVE them.

I have this thing where I will never order something off of a menu if I know I can make it at home quite easily.

Aside from a (veggie) burger joint or mexican food, I typically will always order something that sounds labor intensive or something I wouldn't normally bust out myself.

I'm weird, I know, but what's the point?

I very rarely go out to eat, and if I do, I want something special.

Special like me... no not that kind of special.

Whatever.

I mean, I'm not whipping out spicy tuna rolls on the daily around here, so that seems like something that's worth going out for.

That and the fact that sushi is quickly becoming a comfort food.

you passed the test? let's go to sushi.

your baby got his first set of teeth? sushi it is!

your cat died? sushi, here we come.

Here are the little nuggets frying away on my amazeballs new nonstick pan I got for Christmas from the hubby.

Some girls like diamonds, some like cars, me?

I love cooking supplies.

And my nonstick pan sent me over the edge on Christmas morning.

It's a scanpan and it's ridic.

Get one.

It will change your cooking life.

for.e.ver.

Moving on.

I paired mine with a pretty luscious Honey Cilantro Sauce.

It was a 1 bunch of cilantro, a couple tablespoons of no fat sour cream, 2 garlic cloves, 2 tablespoons honey, salt, pepper, and about 1/4 cup olive oil.

Puree it all in the blender and add a touch of water if it needs to be thinned out.

It's that easy.

Sauce.

Done.

BTW, you can put this sauce on your grandpa's old shoe and it would taste delicious.

So don't be limited to just put them on crab cakes.

Try it as salad dressing, on fish, on chicken, I even put mine in a burrito and on eggs.

It's just that good.

Baked french fries, arugula tossed with olive oil, salt and lemon juice, and fresh sliced grape tomatoes made the crab cakes one helluva meal.

Pretty. Fresh. Dinner.

Dive in.

The crab won't mind.

;)

Crab Cakes

(My guess-timations)

1 lb. crab (claw or lump, whatever your budget can afford)

1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs (take some old bread and put it in the food processor.

Voila, fresh breadcrumbs)

1 large stalk celery, diced

1 small onion, diced

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 green or red bell pepper, diced

3 tablespoons worchestire sauce

1 tablespoon dijon mustard

2-3 tablespoons mayo

1 tablespoon hot sauce (I used Tapatio)

1 egg (optional)

Panko bread crumbs (optional)

olive oil

Butter, if you're feeling cray

In a medium (preferrably nonstick) saute pan, put 3 tablespoons olive oil (and 1 tablespoon butter if you want, but not necessary).

Saute on medium high heat the celery, onion, garlic and bell pepper until translucent,

about 5-7 minutes.

Put it aside to cool.

In a large bowl, mix together the breadcrumbs, mayo, mustard, worchestire sauce, hot sauce and egg.

Add the cooled celery mixture and mix til combined.

Gently toss in the crab meat and fold into all the ingredients.

Try not to break them apart too much so you can have a nice, chunky cake.

Start forming your mixture into crab cakes (however large or small you like) and set aside on a baking sheet lined with wax paper.

*I coated mine in panko breadcrumbs for some added texture when pan frying them, but you don't have to.

Cook your cakes in a skillet on medium high heat with olive oil and (butter if you want) until they form a nice, golden brown crust, about 4-5 minutes.

Turn and do the same on the other side.

Serve with the Honey Cilantro Sauce.

You have officially entered heaven on earth.

Enjoy.