Crab dishes for Cape Girardeau

Both of our children enjoy seafood, and our son has always loved crab in about any way you can fix it. While we were in South Carolina he ate crab every day. He likes crab cakes, and while looking up the recipe I came across a couple of other crab recipes for you to try. I hope you enjoy them as much as he does.

Crab Cakes

Makes 8 patties

3/4 cup plain bread crumbs

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 egg

2 scallions, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon Dijon-style mustard

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning

2 cans (6 1/2 ounces each) lump crabmeat, drained and cleaned

2 tablespoons butter

In a medium bowl, combine all the ingredients except the crabmeat and butter. Mix well. Fold in the crabmeat, being careful not to break it up. Form into 8 equal-sized patties. In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Saute the patties for 3 to 4 minutes per side, or until browned. Serve immediately. Imitation crabmeat will work fine, too. And if you make smaller patties, you'll have a great party appetizer. Serve them with tartar, cocktail or mustard sauce for dipping.

Low-Carb Maryland Crab Cakes

2 tablespoons finely chopped onion

1 tablespoon minced celery

1 tablespoon minced green pepper

1 teaspoon butter

2 tablespoons egg substitute

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

2 tablespoons seasoned bread crumbs

1/2 teaspoon Old Bay seafood seasoning

1/2 teaspoon ground mustard

1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

6 ounces fresh or canned crabmeat, drained, flaked and cartilage removed

1 tablespoon canola oil

Tartar sauce, optional

In a small skillet, saute the onion, celery and green pepper in butter until tender. In a bowl, combine the egg substitute and mayonnaise. Add the vegetables, bread crumbs, seafood seasoning, mustard and Worcestershire sauce. Mix well. Fold in crab. Shape into four cakes. In a skillet, cook crab cakes in oil over medium heat for 3-5 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Serve with tartar sauce if desired. Yield: 2 servings.

Crab Chowder

1 (6-ounce) package frozen crabmeat or 1 (6-ounce) can crabmeat, drained, flaked and cartilage removed

1 medium zucchini, cut into 2-inch strips

1 medium red or green sweet pepper, chopped

2 tablespoons margarine or butter

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

4 cups milk

2 tablespoons sliced green onion

1/2 teaspoon bouquet garni seasoning

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

1 (3-ounce) package cream cheese, cut up

1 teaspoon snipped fresh thyme

Fresh thyme sprigs, optional

Thaw crabmeat, if frozen. In a medium saucepan cook zucchini and sweet pepper in hot margarine or butter until crisp-tender. Stir in the flour. Add the milk, green onion, bouquet garni seasoning, salt and black pepper. Cook and stir over medium-high heat until thickened and bubbly. Add the cream cheese. Cook and stir until cream cheese melts. Stir in the crabmeat and snipped thyme. Heat through. Garnish each serving with additional fresh thyme, if desired. Yields 4 main-dish servings.

Crab-Filled Crescent Snacks

1 (6-ounce) can crabmeat, rinsed, well drained

1 (3-ounce) package cream cheese, softened

2 tablespoons sliced green onions

1/4 teaspoon garlic salt

2 (8-ounce) cans crescent dinner rolls

1 egg yolk

1 tablespoon water

1 teaspoon sesame seed

1 (9-ounce) jar, about 1 cup sweet-and-sour sauce

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Spray large cookie sheet with nonstick cooking spray. In small bowl, combine crabmeat, cream cheese, onions and garlic salt. Mix well. Unroll both cans of dough; separate into 16 triangles. Cut each triangle in half lengthwise to make 32 triangles. Place 1 teaspoon crab mixture on center of each triangle about 1 inch from short side of triangle. Fold short ends of each triangle over filling; pinch sides to seal. Roll up. Place on sprayed cookie sheet. In small bowl, combine egg yolk and water. Mix well. Brush egg mixture over snacks. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Discard any remaining egg mixture. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm snacks with sweet-and-sour sauce. Makes 32 snacks.

Summer Crab Salad

2 packages (8 ounces each) flaked imitation crabmeat

3 cups fresh sugar snap peas, halved widthwise

2 medium cucumbers, sliced

1 medium sweet red pepper, julienned

1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion

1/2 cup snipped fresh dill

1/3 cup prepared ranch dressing

1/3 cup sour cream

1 teaspoon lemon juice

Boston lettuce

In a bowl, combine the crab, peas, cucumbers, red pepper, onion and dill. Combine the dressing, sour cream and lemon juice; mix well. Pour over crab mixture and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight. Serve on a bed of lettuce. Yield: 10 servings.

Vidalia onions are sweet and delicious but are only available for a short time. I buy several when they are in season and wrap each one individually in paper towel or newspapers, and they keep for a long time. This casserole is a good side dish for barbecue.

Vidalia Onion Casserole

4 to 5 Vidalia or sweet onions, sliced 1/4 inch thick

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup sour cream

3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

10 butter-flavored crackers, crushed

In a skillet over medium heat, saute onions in butter until tender. Remove from the heat. Stir in sour cream. Spoon half into a greased 1-quart baking dish. Sprinkle with cheese. Top with remaining onion mixture and crackers. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes. Yield: 4 to 6 servings.

Have fun trying these new recipes and remember, when you try a new recipe, send it in so other readers can enjoy it as well.

Have a great week, and until next time, happy cooking.

Susan McClanahan is administrator at the Cape Girardeau Senior Center. Send recipes to her at smcclanahan@semissourian.com or by mail at P.O. Box 699, Cape Girardeau, Mo. 63701. Recipes published have not been kitchen-tested by Southeast Missourian staff.