Red Pepper Crab Croquetas With Garlic Almond Sauce Recipes

RED PEPPER CRAB CROQUETAS WITH GARLIC-ALMOND SAUCE

Steps:

• Make the béchamel: Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour and cook for 1 minute without browning. Gradually whisk in milk, 1/4 cup at a time, to obtain a smooth, thick sauce. Turn heat to low, add 1/2 teaspoon salt and a generous amount of freshly ground black pepper. Continue to cook, stirring, for 4 to 5 minutes. Thin if necessary with a tablespoon or so more milk, but keep it the consistency of whipped cream.
• Make the crab mixture: Put crab meat in a mixing bowl and add warm béchamel. Stir in roasted peppers, cayenne, scallions, cilantro, and lemon zest and mix gently until ingredients are well incorporated. Taste for salt and adjust seasoning. Spread mixture on a baking sheet in a layer about 1 inch thick, cover and refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours. (The crab mixture can be prepared up to a day in advance and refrigerated.)
• Assemble the croquetas: Arrange 3 small shallow bowls on a work counter. Add 1 cup of flour to one bowl, then season it with salt and pepper. In second, add the beaten eggs. Fill the third bowl with bread crumbs. Weigh 1-ounce portions of the crab mixture and place on wax paper. Roll each portion in seasoned flour, then dip into egg and finally roll in crumbs, forming each gently into a sphere. Put breaded croquetas on a clean baking sheet and sprinkle with more crumbs. Repeat until all are breaded. Refrigerate, uncovered, until ready to fry.
• Make the garlic-almond sauce: Put almonds in a food processor and blend thoroughly, until finely ground. Add garlic and pulse to combine. With the food processor running, add a faint drizzle of olive oil as sauce thickens. The oil must be added very slowly or the sauce will separate or break. Continue adding the oil until it is all incorporated. Season sauce with salt to taste. Transfer to a small bowl and set aside.
• To fry croquetas, pour vegetable oil to depth of 2 inches in a wide, deep saucepan and place over medium-high heat. Bring oil to 375 degrees. Working in small batches, fry croquetas on each side until golden brown, about 4 minutes. (Too many in the pan risks significantly lowering the temperature of the oil.) Remove croquetas with a slotted spoon and transfer to a paper-towel-lined baking sheet. Season lightly with salt and keep warm in a low oven. Repeat until all croquetas are fried. Pile them on a serving platter and serve with garlic-almond sauce for dipping.

CRAB CROQUETTES

Steps:

• Make the mango dipping sauce: Place mango, shallot, jalapeno, cilantro, lime juice, sugar, and oil in the bowl of a food processor and process until smooth. If sauce is too thick, thin with water, adding 1 tablespoon at a time.
• Make the croquettes: Heat ghee in a small skillet over medium. Add shallot, bell pepper, and garlic and cook until softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in cumin and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 1 minute more, then let cool to room temperature.
• Place mashed potato, parsley, cilantro, yogurt, and shallot mixture in a medium bowl. Gently fold to combine using a rubber spatula. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Fold in crab.
• In a deep cast-iron skillet, heat oil until a deep-fry thermometer reaches 350 degrees. Place flour, eggs, and panko in three separate shallow dishes. Use a scoop or spoon to form the crab-and-potato mixture into 1 1/2-inch balls. Dredge each ball first in flour, then in egg, and finally in panko, ensuring that each ball is fully coated; shake off any excess.
• Working in batches, transfer croquettes to hot oil using a slotted spoon or spider, and cook, turning occasionally, until golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a a paper towel-lined baking sheet; season with salt. Serve croquettes with mango dipping sauce.

CRAB CAKE CROQUETTES

Steps:

• Mix together the mayonnaise, chili-garlic sauce and lemon juice in a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate to chill. Heat a straight-sided 10-inch heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat. Add the canola oil and heat until glossy. Add the celery, jalapenos, onions and bell peppers and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Transfer the vegetables to a large bowl and let cool to room temperature, 10 to 12 minutes. Wipe out the skillet and set aside.
• Add the crabmeat, 1 1/2 cups of the breadcrumbs, the egg and 1/2 cup of the chili mayonnaise to the cooled vegetables. Sprinkle with salt and black pepper and stir to combine. Place the remaining 2 1/2 cups breadcrumbs in a shallow bowl and set aside. Shape the crab mixture into bite-size (about 1 1/2 tablespoons) croquettes, 25 to 30 total. Dredge each croquette in the breadcrumbs, turning to coat. Arrange the croquettes on a parchment-lined baking sheet, cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 8 hours.
• Heat 1/4 inch canola oil in the same heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, cook the croquettes until golden brown and cooked through, turning once, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a serving platter and sprinkle with salt and black pepper. Serve with the remaining chili mayonnaise.

ROASTED RED PEPPER AND CRAB SOUP

Steps:

• Set the oven to broil, and preheat for 5 minutes.
• Place the red bell pepper quarters skin-side up on a broiler pan or baking sheet. Broil until the skins have blackened, then place them in a brown paper bag, or in a covered bowl and allow them to steam for approximately 10 minutes to loosen the skins.
• Once the skins have loosened, peel them off and discard. Coarsely chop the peeled, roasted peppers, and place into a large saucepan along with the chicken broth and chopped potato. Bring to a boil over high heat, then add the half-and-half, salt, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, and basil. Return to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and simmer for 45 minutes.
• Once the potatoes have softened, puree the soup in batches in a blender until smooth. Pour the pureed soup into another saucepan and stir in the crab. Heat over medium heat to warm through, about 5 minutes.

ROASTED RED PEPPER, ALMOND, AND GARLIC DIP

Steps:

• Very finely chop almonds in processor. Add roasted peppers, vinegar, and garlic; process to coarse puree. With machine running, pour olive oil through feed tube and process until puree thickens slightly. Season dip to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to small bowl. (Dip can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature before serving.)

CREAMY CRAB AND RED PEPPER SPREAD

Steps:

• Reserve 2 tablespoons onions. Mix remaining onions with all remaining ingredients except crackers.
• Refrigerate 1 hour.
• Top with reserved onions. Serve with crackers.

ROMESCO SAUCE

Steps:

• Toast the almonds in a dry frying pan for 3-4 mins until starting to turn golden and smelling toasted. Shake the pan often to turn them. Tip out and leave to cool.
• Drain the red peppers and tip into a food processor with the almonds, garlic, vinegar and smoked paprika, then blitz to a chunky paste.
• With the motor still on, slowly drizzle in the olive oil to make a dip. A bit of texture works well for this rather than blending to a super smooth consistency. Season well, adding a little more vinegar, if you like.