Killer Salads

I don't know where you live, but where I live it's freaking hot.  With the mercury climbing to 105 and our AC unit working hard to keep up, I'm doing my very best to avoid turning the stove on.  Which means some of my favorites are out of the question - roasted chicken, stews, polenta and risotto.

Since the weather's gotten hotter, I've been attempting several varieties of salads to find something that's actually filling but requires very little cooking.  After staring blankly at the fish section at the local supermarket (which has a surprisingly good selection), I figured I should do what smart people do when they're at a loss - ask for help.  I chatted with the fella behind the counter (Ben) about where the fish came from, how many times each of them had been frozen, and which were the freshest.  Having just switched purses, I didn't have my Sustainable Fish Guide (which can be sorted by region and rates fish based on overfishing, sustainability of fishing methods and whether the harvesting methods are harming other fish or the environment), but I remembered that most Pacific line caught Yellow Fin Tuna is okay, so I grabbed three sashimi grade steaks.  I also grabbed a big container of Texas gulf crab meat, because the only thing better than crab is crab already out of its shell and because I'd like to support gulf fishermen.

So I decided to make the first crab cake I've ever made, toss it on a bed of fresh spinach and surround it with a bunch of chopped up heirloom tomatoes.

My crab cake contained:

One container jumbo lump crab, picked for shells and cartilage
1 tablespoon horseradish
1 tablespoon worchestershire sauce
1 cup mayo
2 ears corn (roasted - actually, I roasted six of them at once by sticking them unhusked in the oven at 400 for about a half hour or so), corn cut from the cob (I cut them all and stuck them in tupperware for future roasted corn recipes)
Fistful of cilantro, chopped
Fistful of chives, chopped
1/4 of a red onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 green pepper, finely chopped
1 cup panko breadcrumbs
Juice of one lemon
Salt and pepper to taste

With your hands, mix all ingredients, adding mayo if it's having trouble sticking together.

In a pan, add about a cup of vegetable oil.  Turn the heat to medium high.  (Now is a good time to assemble your salads).  Once the oil is hot enough that dropping water causes sputtering, add your crab cakes and flip after about two minutes (check them - no one likes crab cake char).

I served it with Annie's Green Goddess dressing, which is a whole bottle full of tasty win.  By the time I'd finished my plate, I was tummy-ache stuffed, which is almost unheard of.

In a semi-related note, Chardonnay mixed with Central Market's Pomegranate Italian Soda is probably illegal somewhere.