Trout & Crab Cakes with Chipotle Sauce

This recipe comes from that cookbook I told you I'd happily "found" recently, Sharon O'Connor's Menus & Music: Tasting the Wine Country. Leafing through it I found a recipe for Trout Cakes and Chipotle Sauce from a place I knew and loved in the Finger Lakes, Belhurst Castle on Seneca Lake in Geneva, New York. I went to college in the Finger Lake region and loved the rolling hills and farm land that always ended on a lake's shores. It wasn't wine country then as it is now, but then and now it was and is breathtakingly beautiful. Dinner at Belhurst Castle was a very special event and nine times out of ten entailed have a parent or two in tow - it didn't quite fit into a college student's budget.

Generally speaking, I've never been overly fond of crab cakes, they always seem over-laden with bread and too often are deep fried - neither being very appealing to me. When I read this recipe though it struck me as lighter and brighter all around, and I was right. The chef at the Castle created a delicious light trout and crab cake, seasoned with herbs and enlivened with a smoky chipotle sauce. How light are these? Well they just barely hold together but are oh so good. 

Trout & Crab Cakes
Makes 4 Servings 

2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 egg, lightly beaten
½ teaspoon dry mustard
½ teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
2 green onions (scallions), white part only, finely chopped
1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro
5 ounces grilled or broiled trout, chilled and flaked (salmon could be a substitute if trout can't be found)
5 ounces fresh lump crabmeat, picked over for shell
Flour for dredging
2 tablespoons olive oil
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• In a medium bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, egg. mustard, Old Bay seasoning, onion, cilantro, and bread crumbs. Gently mix in the trout and crab. Shape the mixture into 8 patties, each about 2½ inches in diameter. They will barely hold together. Spread the flour on a plate and lightly dredge the patties, coating evenly. Place the patties on a plate, cover, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
• In a large frying pan, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat and cook half the trout cakes until golden, about 3 minutes on each side. Repeat for the remaining cakes. Arrange 2 trout cakes and a dollop of the chipotle sauce on each of 4 plates and serve immediately.

Chipotle Sauce 
(Makes about ¾ cup)

¼ cup mayonnaise
¼ cup sour cream
4 canned chipotle chilies en adobo
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
2 teaspoons chopped flat leaf parsley
2 teaspoons capers
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In a blender or food processor, combine all the ingredients and purée until smooth. Cover and refrigerate for 1-2 hours to chill.

Note: We've found that chipotle chilies en adobo can really pack a punch so use the sauce accordingly.

 

Comments

[Claudia]

Crab Cake, With a name like yours, I hope you like it.

[Crab Cake]

Will have to try this recipe. Sounds good!