Crab Sofritto Tapas Recipes

SPICY CRAB SALAD TAPAS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°. Combine the first 12 ingredients. Refrigerate, covered, at least 1 hour., Meanwhile, on a lightly floured surface, unfold puff pastry. Roll each pastry into a 10-in. square; cut each into twenty-five 2-in. squares. Using a round 1-1/2-in. cookie cutter, cut out the centers of half the puff pastry squares. Whisk egg and water; brush over pastry. Place cutout squares on top of solid squares; transfer to parchment-lined baking sheets., Bake until golden brown, about 18 minutes. Cool to room temperature. Once cool, spoon 1 heaping tablespoon of crab salad into center of each cooked pastry. If desired, top with minced parsley and seasoning. Serve immediately.

CRAB SOFRITTO TAPAS

Steps:

• Heat oil in pan, and brown the garlic and onion.
• Add Prosciutto and tomatoes, and cook until a thick paste.
• Stir in crabmeat, oregano, salt and pepper to taste.
• Cook until crab is heated thoroughly.
• Serve with Italian bread.

CRAB FRITTERS WITH SPICY MAYO

Steps:

• To make the fritter batter, combine flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. In another smaller bowl, whisk together oil, milk, egg and black pepper. Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and combine until all dry ingredients are moistened.
• Heat oil to 375 degrees F in a deep-fryer.
• Mix panko bread crumbs, Cajun Seasoning, mayonnaise, parsley and lemon juice. Fold in crab meat, trying to avoid breaking up lumps. Form crab mixture into "cocktail size" balls. Place the crab ball on a slotted spoon, and holding over the bowl of fritter batter, ladle enough of the batter over it to coat. Deep-fry in hot oil until golden brown and drain.
• Whisk together mayonnaise and Chipotle Chile Powder. Season, with salt, if needed. Serve crab fritters with spicy mayo as a dipping sauce.

PEARL ONION TAPAS

Steps:

• Peel the pearl onion.
• Put the oil in a saute pan. Heat over med heat and add the onion. Saute until light golden color.
• Sprinkle sugar over onions and caramelize for about a minute.
• Pour in sherry vinegar and sherry. Add thyme twigs, salt and pepper to taste.
• Cover and simmer 30 minutes.
• Cool and then serve in small bowls.

ALCAPURRIAS DE JUEYES (CRAB-STUFFED FRITTERS)

Steps:

• Prepare the annatto oil: In a small saucepan, heat oil and annatto seeds over medium-high. Once the mixture comes to a rolling simmer, remove saucepan from stove, stir to combine, then let rest for 5 minutes. Transfer oil to a heat-safe container, straining out seeds through a fine-mesh sieve, and set aside. (Makes 3/4 cup.) You'll use this oil in three separate steps to come.
• Prepare the masa: Fill a large bowl with cold water and a fistful of salt. Peel and chop yautia and green bananas into 1-inch pieces, then soak in the salted water until ready to process.
• Cut at least 32 squares of wax paper about 4 to 5 inches each. (Traditionally, banana leaves are used, but, since they can be difficult to source, wax paper is an appropriate substitute.)
• Drain yautia and bananas well, then use a clean cloth to dab any excess water. Working in two batches, add half the drained yautia and bananas to the food processor with 1 tablespoon salt, and pulse until fully incorporated. Repeat with the remaining yautia, bananas and 1 tablespoon salt, processing to the texture of chunky hummus.
• Return the first batch of blended yautia and bananas to the food processor, turn it on and gradually pour in 1/2 cup annatto oil, blending the mixture until smooth and dark yellow in color. Taste for salt, then transfer to a large bowl and refrigerate for an hour or more so it can set. (This will make about 9 to 10 cups of masa.)
• Prepare the filling: In a medium saucepan, bring 3 tablespoons annatto oil to a simmer over medium heat. Add sofrito, capers, sazón and 1 teaspoon salt, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes, until most of the liquid has evaporated. Lower heat to medium-low and add crab meat, stirring well to incorporate. Cook for another 3 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally until flavors blend and crab has soaked up the seasoning. Adjust salt as needed.
• Create an assembly line on a long dining table or counter, preferably atop a cloth or towels you don't mind getting stained. From left to right, arrange the remaining annatto oil, wax paper squares, masa, crab filling and a large plate or baking sheet. Have a finger bowl with water and a clean towel available in case your hands get messy.
• Using a small teaspoon, smear about 1/8 teaspoon of annatto oil in a wide oval shape nearly to the edge of the paper. Add about 2 tablespoons of masa, then spread in a wide oval over the annatto oil, leaving at least a 1/2-inch border of paper uncovered. Add about 2 to 3 teaspoons crab to the center of the masa, taking care not to overfill. Fold the paper in half, creating a half-moon shape, and seal the edge by pressing the masa lightly with your fingers, careful not to let the filling spill out. Stack carefully on a plate or baking sheet, and return to the fridge until ready to fry. (These fry up best when they've had time to rest in the refrigerator. If you'd like to prepare these ahead of time, you can refrigerate them for several hours, or store in the freezer for several months. They can be fried directly from the freezer.)
• In a deep, heavy-bottomed pan or deep fryer, bring about 2 inches of vegetable oil (at least 4 cups) to a simmer over medium-high heat until it reaches 350 degrees on a candy thermometer. Working in batches, carefully transfer each alcapurria to the simmering oil, sliding it off the paper onto your hand, then carefully dropping in the oil. Gently nudge the alcapurrias with heat-safe tongs to prevent them from sticking. (The filling may burst through the edges, causing oil to splatter, so keep a splatter guard handy, if you have one.) Turn each fritter a few times until evenly dark golden brown, about 5 to 7 minutes.
• Remove from oil and drain on a baking sheet lined with paper towels and cook remaining alcapurrias. Let rest for at least 5 minutes before eating, as they are quite hot. Sprinkle each bite with your hot sauce of choice.

CRAB FRITTERS

Steps:

• In the container of a food processor, combine the mayonnaise, mustard, horseradish, garlic, and lemon juice. Process until well blended. Transfer to a bowl, stir in chives, cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
• Heat the oil in a heavy saucepan or deep fryer to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Stir together the hush puppy mix, milk and egg until smooth. Fold in the crab. Drop tablespoonfuls of the batter into the hot oil. Fry until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes, turning once if needed. Drain on paper towels. Serve fritters with the garlic sauce.

CRAB ALFREDO

Steps:

• In a skillet, saute onion in butter until tender. Add mushrooms; cook and stir for 3 minutes or until tender. Stir in the sauce and broth until blended. Add the crab. Reduce heat; cook for 10 minutes or until heated through, stirring occasionally. Serve over pasta.