Posts tagged mayonnaise
crab cakes + zesty greek yogurt aioli

there is nothing like a baby, or a blog to put time in perspective. today is the tenth anniversary of the creation of newfoodtuesdayz. i’ll save you the click on the why tuesdayZ page and sum it up for you. i got a cooking bug. i was a twenty-four year old, trying to figure out what i liked and who i loved and what my future held. tuesday was my only free day of the week. some dick took newfoodtuesdayS.com and posted once. so on may 19th, 2010, newfoodtuesdayZ was born. if you want to read some painful writing and young feelings, you can see my original post, and my early days, HERE.

never in my wildest dreams could i have imagined where ten years would take me. i could have never predicted how that itty bitty little kitchen i learned to cook in would prepare me to cook for hundreds out of a miniature home kitchen.

i had NO FREAKING IDEA i would be a baker. that i would have the honor to be apart of people’s BIGGEST life moments.

while the website never had an end goal, it really has grown up. the pages were originally splashed with bad photography, worse editing and a lot of oversharing. thanks to an iphone, thousands of hours in the kitchen and lots of talent around me, i have a little internet home i am very proud of. and i keep the oversharing for my instagram stories.

enough gibber jabber. it’s a big moment for me, but we are all really here for the food. the first thing i ever made for a “newfoodtuesdayz” dinner was crab cakes. i’ve made different varieties over the years, but this version takes the cake. pun extremely intended. do your best to dry your crab well. a drier mix will make for a crispier cake. i make my own spice blend, but if you have it on hand, old bay seasoning is a classic you can’t go wrong with. if you don’t have all the spices i used in my blend, you could mix and match for herbs and spices you have and enjoy. the best food, is the food made to YOUR taste.

crab cakes + zesty greek yogurt aioli

serves: 8 cakes (2.5-3 inches in diameter)

prep time: 15 minutes

inactive time: 15 minutes

cook time: 15 minutes

total time: 45 minutes

ingredients: 1 lb jumbo lump crab, pick out any shells that may remain and pat the crab well to dry. 2 green onions, light parts and green parts, finely chopped and separated. finely chopped celery. 2 tbs finely chopped red, yellow or orange bell pepper. 2 tbs freshly chopped parsley, divided. .5 cup panko bread crumbs. 1 large garlic clove, minced. 1 lemon, cut into 6 wedges. 1 egg. 2 tbs greek yogurt. 2 tbs mayonnaise. 1 tsp dijon mustard. 4 tbs vegetable oil. 2 tbs old bay seasoning OR home made spice blend (1 tsp kosher salt. .5 tsp freshly ground pepper. .5 tsp paprika. .5 tsp chili powder. .5 tsp turmeric. .25 tsp cumin. .25 tsp cayenne pepper). 4 cups arugula. nasturtium flowers optional. large, heavy pan, ideally cast iron. spatula.

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start by combining your spice blend (unless you are using old bay, then skip this step). then combine the yogurt, mayonnaise and mustard and set it aside.

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in a large bowl, combine the crab, light parts of the green onion, celery, bell pepper, half the parsley, panko, half the garlic clove, the egg and half of your greek yogurt mixture. add in half your spice blend and stir it all well to combine.

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use your hands to shape your cakes and lay them on a dry plate or rack. place the cakes in the fridge, uncovered for 15 minutes so they firm up and dry out a bit.

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while they are in the fridge, combine the rest of your yogurt mixture with the rest of the garlic, dark green parts of the onion, and the remaining spice blend. squeeze in the juice for 4 of your wedges and stir it all together.

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place the arugula on your serving tray. when you are ready to cook, heat the vegetable oil over medium high heat.

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when the oil is hot and very shiny, add in half of the cakes. cook 3-4 minutes a side, until browned. set them on a paper towel to dry. cook the remaining cakes. drizzle your greek yogurt aioli onto the bed of arugula. don’t mind the pacifier. this is my life now.

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place your cakes on your platter, garnish with the remaining parsley and edible flowers if you have them and serve hot with the remaining lemon wedges.

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xo, a

crab cakes + zesty greek yogurt aioli

serves: 8 cakes (2.5-3 inches in diameter)

prep time: 15 minutes

inactive time: 15 minutes

cook time: 15 minutes

total time: 45 minutes

ingredients: 1 lb jumbo lump crab, pick out any shells that may remain and pat the crab well to dry. 2 green onions, light parts and green parts, finely chopped and separated. finely chopped celery. 2 tbs finely chopped red, yellow or orange bell pepper. 2 tbs freshly chopped parsley, divided. .5 cup panko bread crumbs. 1 large garlic clove, minced. 1 lemon, cut into 6 wedges. 1 egg. 2 tbs greek yogurt. 2 tbs mayonnaise. 1 tsp dijon mustard. 4 tbs vegetable oil. 2 tbs old bay seasoning OR home made spice blend (1 tsp kosher salt. .5 tsp freshly ground pepper. .5 tsp paprika. .5 tsp chili powder. .5 tsp turmeric. .25 tsp cumin. .25 tsp cayenne pepper). 4 cups arugula. nasturtium flowers optional. large, heavy pan, ideally cast iron. spatula.

start by combining your spice blend (unless you are using old bay, then skip this step). then combine the yogurt, mayonnaise and mustard and set it aside. in a large bowl, combine the crab, light parts of the green onion, celery, bell pepper, half the parsley, panko, half the garlic clove, the egg and half of your greek yogurt mixture. add in half your spice blend and stir it all well to combine. use your hands to shape your cakes and lay them on a dry plate or rack. place the cakes in the fridge, uncovered for 15 minutes so they firm up and dry out a bit. while they are in the fridge, combine the rest of your yogurt mixture with the rest of the garlic, dark green parts of the onion, and the remaining spice blend. squeeze in the juice for 4 of your wedges and stir it all together. place the arugula on your serving tray. when you are ready to cook, heat the vegetable oil over medium high heat. when the oil is hot and very shiny, add in half of the cakes. cook 3-4 minutes a side, until browned. set them on a paper towel to dry. cook the remaining cakes. drizzle your greek yogurt aioli onto the bed of arugula. place your cakes on your platter, garnish with the remaining parsley and edible flowers if you have them and serve hot with the remaining lemon wedges.

taco tuesdayz: salmon tacos

since i grew up in sunny socal, tacos are basically a food group. and in our house, they are eaten in one form of or another a few times a week. so i decided to start diving deep into my taco recipes on the first taco tuesday of every month.

first up on the list is one of my favorite fish tacos. salmon makes a tasty, beautiful substitute to the usual white fish options used for fish tacos. the sauce is zesty and bright and the purple cabbage adds some delicious CRUNCH to each bite.

salmon tacos

serves: 2

prep time: 20 minutes

cook time: 10 minutes

total time: 30 minutes

ingredients: 8 oz wild salmon (i like the skin on, but if you are not comfortable cooking the skin to a crisp, ask your fish guy to remove the skin, remove it your self or purchase salmon with the skin already removed). .5 cup greek yogurt. .25 mayonnaise. 1 tsp kosher salt. .25 tsp fresh ground pepper. .5 tsp garlic powder. .5 tsp cumin. .25 tsp paprika. 2 lime. 1 clove garlic, minced. 3 tbs coconut oil. 1 shallot, thinly sliced. .25 tsp apple cider vinegar. .25 cup cilantro leaves. 1 cup thinly sliced purple cabbage. 6 small corn tortillas. large non-stick pan.

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start by patting your salmon down with paper towels. put it in the back of your refrigerator, uncovered to dry out the skin about while you prep your other ingredients. combine your shallots and the apple cider vinegar in a small bowl to make quick pickled shallots. zest one of your limes and juice it. slice the second lime into wedges and reserve for serving. combine all but .5 tsp of your salt in a small bowl to make your spice blend.

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then in a medium bowl, combine the mayonnaise, greek yogurt, .25 of the spice blend, the lime juice, the lime zest and the garlic clove. mix well to combine and set it aside. start heating your pan over medium high heat.

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while the pan is heating, season the fish with .5 tsp of salt and then rub it with the remaining spice blend.

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when the pan is hot, add in the coconut oil till it is shiny and hot. cook your salmon, skin side down first if you have skin on, until the skin is really crispy and you can see the fish is cooked a little more than half way through. flip the fish and continue cooking until you can see that is cooked through. remove the salmon and allow it to rest for 5 minutes.

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while the fish is resting, wipe out your pan and heat your tortillas for 30 seconds a side until they are nice and toasty. chop up your salmon.

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to assemble your tacos, spread some of your zesty sauce on the bottom of your taco.

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top with salmon, crunchy cabbage, pickled shallots, some cilantro leaves and a squeeze of fresh lime. serve hot and enjoy.

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xo, a

salmon tacos

serves: 2

prep time: 20 minutes

cook time: 10 minutes

total time: 30 minutes

ingredients: 8 oz wild salmon (i like the skin on, but if you are not comfortable cooking the skin to a crisp, ask your fish guy to remove the skin, remove it your self or purchase salmon with the skin already removed). .5 cup greek yogurt. .25 mayonnaise. 1 tsp kosher salt. .25 tsp fresh ground pepper. .5 tsp garlic powder. .5 tsp cumin. .25 tsp paprika. 2 lime. 1 clove garlic, minced. 3 tbs coconut oil. 1 shallot, thinly sliced. .25 tsp apple cider vinegar. .25 cup cilantro leaves. 1 cup thinly sliced purple cabbage. 6 small corn tortillas. large non-stick pan.

start by patting your salmon down with paper towels. put it in the back of your refrigerator, uncovered to dry out the skin about while you prep your other ingredients. combine your shallots and the apple cider vinegar in a small bowl to make quick pickled shallots. zest one of your limes and juice it. slice the second lime into wedges and reserve for serving. combine all but .5 tsp of your salt in a small bowl to make your spice blend. then in a medium bowl, combine the mayonnaise, greek yogurt, .25 of the spice blend, the lime juice, the lime zest and the garlic clove. mix well to combine and set it aside. start heating your pan over medium high heat. while the pan is heating, season the fish with .5 tsp of salt and then rub it with the remaining spice blend. when the pan is hot, add in the coconut oil till it is shiny and hot. cook your salmon, skin side down first if you have skin on, until the skin is really crispy and you can see the fish is cooked a little more than half way through. flip the fish and continue cooking until you can see that is cooked through. remove the salmon and allow it to rest for 5 minutes. while the fish is resting, wipe out your pan and heat your tortillas for 30 seconds a side until they are nice and toasty. chop up your salmon. to assemble your tacos, spread some of your zesty sauce on the bottom of your taco. top with salmon, crunchy cabbage, pickled shallots, some cilantro leaves and a squeeze of fresh lime. serve hot and enjoy.