Pumpkin Crab Soup

I would be lying if I told you that I associate the fall season with pumpkins. When the weather turns cooler, my focus is on crabs. Crabs are said to be better tasting in cooler weather, but the crustaceans are also cheaper by the dozen (or bushel) from September to December in Maryland.

Pumpkin is nearly non-existent in my kitchen (I rarely bake), but I had the idea to combine pumpkin with Maryland Blue Crab.  A pinch of cayenne and cumin provides warming spice. Greek yogurt cools and provides creaminess to the soup without the fat and cholesterol of heavy cream. If you happen to have a taste for crab and pumpkin this fall, try this recipe.

Recipe: Pumpkin Crab Soup (Serves 4-6)
Ingredients
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium onion (minced in food processor)
2 cups low sodium vegetable broth (I use Pacific Organic)
1 15-ounce can unsweetened organic pumpkin (not  pumpkin puree)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon plain Greek yogurt
1/4 teaspoon sweet paprika
1 pinch saffron (optional)
Cracked white pepper (to taste)
8 ounces jumbo lump Maryland blue crab

Directions:

1. In a soup pot, saute minced onions in butter until onions are translucent. 
2. Add the broth, pumpkin, and yogurt into the pot and blend with an immersion blender. (If you don't have an immersion blender, pour these ingredients into a standard blender and blend on low speed until mixed, then pour into the pot).
3. Add salt, spices and the cracked pepper.
4. Add the crab and stir very gently, taking care not to break up the crab. 
5. Adjust seasonings, if needed, and serve hot.

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October is Oyster Celebration Month

Baked Oysters (iStockphoto)

Fried, baked, grilled, or on the half shell, oysters are delectable and sustainable. During the month of October, Pescetarian Journal will celebrate with oyster recipes, a primer on oyster varieties, and a visit to the U.S. Oyster Festival, proudly hosted in Southern Maryland, where the oyster is revered.

Join us throughout October for a seafoodie's "ode" to the oyster. Check out these recipes from previous posts:
"Dad's Pride-of-Mobile Fried Oysters,"   "A Day at the U.S. Oyster Festival" (2011), "Oyster Po Boy," and "Cream of Oyster Soup."

Food Truck Inspiration: Maryland Crab Salad Sandwich

Maryland Crab Salad Sandwich--Inspired by Food Truck Fare

Feelin' Crabby Food Truck 

My family and I checked out a food truck festival yesterday in Washington, D.C.--close to our home. Since I no longer work in the heart of the city, I am missing the food truck renaissance and the amazing food that emerges from these tiny kitchens on wheels, which feed hundreds of office workers at lunch time all over D.C. I try to make up for missing this daily foodie experience by dragging my family to bi-monthly food truck festivals that pop up in parking lots around the city.

Crab Sandwich from "Feelin' Crabby" Food Truck

Usually, I check Twitter to find out if my favorite food trucks will be making an appearance. I discovered that "Feelin' Crabby," one of the newest food trucks in D.C., would be there with their stellar crab sandwiches. I went in search of inspiration, and I wasn't let down. Feelin' Crabby's sandwich is generously stuffed with lump crab meat mixed with mayonnaise, parsley, paprika, and other spices. I saw flakes of red pepper as well. The generous scoop of crab tops a beefy tomato slice and lettuce. The buns are toasted too. The whole experience of biting into this crab salad sandwich made me forget myself and what expressions were playing across my face as I savored the sandwich. Yes. It's that good.

I was so inspired by this crab sandwich, that I ran home and gathered ingredients to replicate it: 

Recipe: Dairy-Free Crab Salad Sandwich (Makes 4 Generously Stuffed Sandwiches)

Ingredients

1 pound fresh blue lump crab meat (preferably Maryland Crab)

4 tablespoons egg-free, sandwich spread (such as Vegenaise)

2 teaspoons stone ground mustard

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme (crushed between your fingers)

1/4 teaspoon dried dill

3 tablespoons fresh, chopped dill

Dash paprika (for garnish and flavor)

Cherry tomatoes, sliced (about 4 tomatoes per sandwich)

8 leaves of bib lettuce, rinsed and dried

4 Kaiser Buns

Directions:

1. Transfer crab into large bowl and add the sandwich spread and mustard.
2. Fold ingredients gently with a silicon spatula, taking care not to break up the crab.
3. Add herbs (except paprika) and fold gently to mix ingredients.
4. Refrigerate crab salad for 30 minutes.
5. Slice Kaiser rolls in half with a bread knife. Put bread halves face down into a hot grill pan and toast the bread until grill marks appear. Allow bread halves to cool and place lettuce and tomato on the bottom halves of the Kaiser rolls. 
6. Remove crab from refrigerator scoop crab (using large spoon) on top of the lettuce and tomatoes.
7. Serve immediately. 
8. It turned out to be delicious as well! Give it a try.

Sustainable Seafood Supper Night: Blue Crab Mac 'n Cheese

It's 20 days into Blue Crab Month here on Pescetarian Journal, and my husband says we're eating like rich people. Granted, fresh Maryland blue crab costs more than pasteurized crab from somewhere else, but the taste, the texture, and the sweetness of local blue crab is worth more pennies per ounce. 

I'm excited to introduce "Sustainable Seafood Supper Night." Starting with this post, I'm planning to offer weekly meal ideas featuring sustainable seafood--and since it happens to be Blue Crab Month, what better comfort food for mid-September than Blue Crab Mac 'n Cheese ? A mix of comfort and class, elbow macaroni and cheeses blended with Maryland blue crab heightens the "nom" factor of mac 'n cheese tremendously. Why Maryland crab, you might ask?

Well, Maryland's fisheries have sought to set itself apart from the competition in the packaged crab meat market by applying for certification from the Marine Stewardship Council, which would allow Maryland to sell its crab as a "sustainable" product. According to Monterey Bay Aquarium's "Seafood Watch" organization, blue crab "has the potential to support a sustainable fishery" but must first rebound from serious declines of previous decades. Seafood Watch currently rates blue crab--also supplied from the Gulf Coast, Venezuala, and the Far East--as a "good alternative" seafood. This means there are concerns about the blue crab's habitat, but the seafood has the potential to be a "best choice," sustainable seafood.

This dish packs more fiber with whole-wheat elbow macaroni and is a bit lighter than the recipe that inspired my version. Surprise and impress your friends or family one weeknight soon with this flavorful and filling Blue Crab Mac 'n Cheese dish.

Blue Crab Mac 'n Cheese (Adapted from Crab Macaroni and Cheese by Judy Colbert, author of Chesapeake Bay Crabs, 2011, Pelican Publishing.)

Ingredients

12 ounces whole wheat, elbow macaroni

1 1/2 cup soy milk (or low-fat milk)

16 ounces organic half-and-half (from pastured cows, if possible)

2 teaspoons unbleached white flour (organic if possible)

3/4 cup organic bleu cheese, grated

1/4 cup organic parmesan cheese, grated

3/4 organic ricotta cheese

16 ounces fresh blue crabmeat (6 ounces reserved for topping)

freshly cracked black pepper

4 teaspoons Panko bread crumbs

2 tablespoons organic, unsalted butter (optional)

Directions

1. Boil pasta water in extra-large pot and salt water before boiling pasta (the water should be as salty as sea water.)
2. Cook macaroni until almost tender. Drain well without rinsing.
3. Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees Farenheit; spray a 13x9-inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
4. Combine the milk, half-and-half, four, and pepper in another large pot over medium heat. Stir in the cheeses one at a time and whisk to eliminate clumps.
5. Add the noodles and mix thoroughly until pasta is mixed with the cheese mixture.
6. Fold in crabmeat gently and mix through.
7. Top dish with remaining crabmeat and Panko crumbs. If desired, dab butter on top of dish.
8. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 15 minutes. 
9. Uncover after 15 minutes and broil for 3 minutes (watching the dish like the proverbial hawk). 
10. Remove from oven and let the dish rest for 10 minutes. Serve hot.

Blue Crab Tacos #SundaySupper

At least once a month, I dedicate one of my recipes to the #SundaySuper Movement, led by Isabel Foodie of the Family Foodie blog. Every Sunday, she invites bloggers who belong to her #SundaySupper group on Facebook to post dishes incorporating the week's theme. This week, the theme is Mexican Fiesta (honoring Mexican Independence Day). I'm happy to link Maryland Blue Crab Month and #SundaySupper with my Blue Crab Tacos recipe.

For this recipe I used Maryland back fin blue crab meat, which has a sweet pronounced crab flavor. It's perfect for tacos and for Mexican dishes in general. Making the sauce had me nervous. Crab and cheese don't have a natural affinity for one another. However, at the supermarket I happened upon queso fresco (a soft, mild un-aged cheese), and had a hunch that it would be mild enough to let the crab do the singing in the dish.

The sauce had to have a red tinge (sweet paprika and chili powder obliged). Then the sauce needed a hint of spicy sweetness to complement the sweet taste of Maryland blue crab. Cinnamon was the perfect addition. I rounded out those flavors with ground chipotle peppers and fresh lime juice. I didn't shred the lettuce for the tacos because it's messy and annoying when the lettuce falls. I used whole leaves of bib lettuce, and the effect was like a lettuce wrap wrapped in a soft taco. I must give praise to Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg for their amazing book, "The Flavor Bible." I use this wonderful reference again and again to conjure up flavors that are appropriate for the ingredients and the food's cultural roots. Join the Mexican Fiesta all day today by checking out the other bloggers' recipes below.

Creamy Queso Fresco Sauce with Edible Calendula Blossom

Blue Crab Tacos (Serves 4)

Ingredients

Queso Chipotle Sauce with Blue Crab
1 small onion, minced 
4 ounces queso fresco (fresh Mexican cheese)
1/2 cup unsweetened soy milk (or cow's milk)
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika
1/4 teaspoon dried, ground chipotle pepper
1/4 teaspoon fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
8 ounces back fin blue crab meat (set aside and refrigerate 4 teaspoons of crab)
Dried edible flowers (such as calendula), or fresh cilantro for garnishing

Directions

1. Add minced onion, queso fresco, milk, into blender.
2. Blend until smooth.
3. Add spices, lime juice, and blend again.
4. Refrigerate sauce for 20 minutes. 
5. Add 6 ounces of crab meat to a glass bowl. 
6. Pour cool sauce over crab and mix very gently to avoid breaking up the crab meat. Refrigerate the sauced crab meat. 

Mix Crab Meat Gently with Sauce

Taco Filling
6 ounces of the blue crab with sauce
1 large avocado, cubed 
2 large tomatos, cubed
1 head organic bib lettuce, washed and spun dry
9 ounces white corn tortillas (soft)
2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
4 teaspoons crab (the crab set aside without sauce)

Assembling the Tacos

1. Stack tortillas on a microwavable plate and cover loosely cover with plastic wrap or a microwave cover. Heat at 75% power for one minute.
2. Place two tortillas per person on taco holders or on plates. 
3. Place one leaf of bib lettuce on each tortilla shell.
4. Spoon on the tomatoes, avocado, and cilantro, and crab with sauce (about one heaping teaspoon of crab with sauce for each taco.
5. Top each taco with 1/2 teaspoon of the reserved crab meat.
6. Spoon the remaining sauce into ramekins and garnish with an edible flower or a small sprig of cilantro.

Check out these #SundaySupper Bloggers:

Sopas (soups), Ensaladas (salads), and Entremeses (starters)

• Chicken Tortilla Soup - The Girl in the Little Red Kitchen
• Mexican Paint Soup - Crispy Bits & Burnt Ends
• Jalapeño Popper Dip - Chocolate Moosey
• Vegan Tortilla Soup - Galactosemia in PDX
• Texas Caviar - Ruffles and Truffles
• Cheese-Stuffed Jalapeños w/ a Tequila Sunrise - Mama's Blissful Bites
• Mini Taco Salads - Big Bear's Wife
• Mexican 7 Layer Dip & Chips - The Daily Dish Recipes
• Stoplight Salsa Reisipe - Family Foodie
• Tortilla Soup with Roasted Vegetables - Diabetic Foodie

La Comida (the food)

• Tamales - A Family Tradition - Doggie at the Dinner Table
• Fiesta in La Boca Enchiladas (Chicken & White Bean Enchiladas w/ Salsa Verde) - The Hand That Rocks the Ladle
• Enmoladas (Chicken Mole Enchiladas) - The Meltaways
• Gluten-Free Chicken Spinach Artichoke Enchiladas for #SundaySupper - Cooking Underwriter
• Mexican Fiesta for #SundaySupper: Chipotle Chicken & 3 Bean Quesadillas w/ Wasabi Guacamole and Mango Salsa - Chattering Kitchen
• Quick and Easy Fiesta Rice - Granny's Down Home Southern Cooking
• Carnitas - My Catholic Kitchen
• Tamale Pie - Noshing with the Nolands
• Eggs Motuleños - The Meltaways
• Grilled Fish Tacos with Black Bean and Corn Salsa - Small Wallet Big Appetite
• Carne Asada - Magnolia Days
• Carnitas Avocado Pizza with Chipotle Avocado Mayonnaise Drizzle - Damn Delicious
• Frijoles Charros (Cowboy Beans) - La Cocina de Leslie
• Puerco Pibil - girlichef
• BLT Quesadillas with Avocado Mayo - Cindy's Recipes and Writings
• Chile Rellenos with Roasted Tomato Sauce - Bobbi's Kozy Kitchen
• Tamales with Green Chili Sauce - Dinners, Dishes, and Desserts
• Beef and Vegetable Enchiladas - Hezzi D's Books and Cooks
• Chicken Con Queso - Momma's Meals
• Baked Flautas - Home Cooking Memories
• Chunky Aztec Chocolate Granola - What Smells So Good?
• Street Tacos Al Pastor - Sustainable Dad
• Shrimp Tacos - Pippi's in the Kitchen Again
• Chiles Rellenos with Ranchero Sauce - The Little Ferraro Kitchen
• Zippy Chipotle Shrimp & Mango Tostadas - Sue's Nutrition Buzz
• Pork Tacos - Tora's Real Food
• Chicken Fajitas - Cravings of a Lunatic
• Blue Crab Tacos - Pescetarian Journal
• Huevos Rancheros - Comfy Cuisine

Postres (desserts)

• Chocolate Cinnamon Flan - Vintage Kitchen Notes
• Caramel Apple Enchiladas for a Mexican Fiesta #SundaySupper - In the Kitchen with KP
• Chilli Chocolate Truffles - Happy Baking Days
• Horchata Ice Cream & Churro Brownies - Kwistin's Favorites
• Empanadas - In the Kitchen with Audrey and Maureen
• Plantain Fritters - From Fast Food to Fresh Food
• Fried Cinnamon Sugar Tortillas - The Watering Mouth

Bebidas (beverages)

• Beer Margaritas - That Skinny Chick can bake
• Hatch Chile Margarita - Shockingly Delicious
• Skinny & Spicy Watermelon Margaritas - I Run for Wine
• Refreshing Kiwi Lime Margarita - Mama Mommy Mom

Wine Pairings for Mexican Fiesta #SundaySupper - ENOFYLZ

Day at the Bay & Crab Soup Cookoff

Buddy's Delectable Cream of Crab Soup

Yesterday was the perfect day at the Chesapeake Bay--well, almost. There was the tornado warning just after 4 p.m. and the controlled rush of hundreds of people to cars and buses to leave before the storm. We just made it to our car before the wind and the sideways rain moved in. Tree limbs and one whole tree blew over onto the narrow road leading out of Sandy Point State Park as we drove away. 

Other than that, though, the day was picturesque. If you live in the Mid-Atlantic region, you know that sudden shifts in the weather and temperature are part of the charm of living here. You deal with it. Besides, few of us die-hard crab fans were going to miss the 45th Annual Maryland Seafood Festival and the beloved Crab Soup Cookoff. 

Eager Tasters in Line for Crab Soup Samples

For $10.00 you get a spoon and more than two dozen tastings of crab soup from about 30 restaurants and caterers. Tasters, which numbered in the hundreds, also get a ballot slip and a golf pencil to vote for the best cream of crab soup, best crab and vegetable soup, and best crab alternative soup (which includes unique ingredients or flavors).

My favorite creamy crab soup, pictured above, was from Buddy's Crabs & Ribs Restaurant in Annapolis, Maryland. It was buttery, beset with chunks of Maryland blue crab, and was just so rich. Sparing no expense in the ingredients, it seemed, Buddy's soup tasted like the Rolls Royce of creamy crab soups. And there were some fabulous creamy crab soups to be tasted at the cookoff. 

Chilled Watermelon & Crab Soup with Cilantro

My favorite in the alternative category, also from Buddy's Crabs and Ribs Restaurant, was a chilled Watermelon and Crab Soup with Cilantro. This soup included watermelon balls with sweet cilantro and crab. The taste of the watermelon and cilantro was sweet, of course, but surprisingly compatible with the sweet taste of blue crab. My camera's battery ran out before I could photograph my favorite in the vegetable soup category (note to self: always charge camera battery before an outing).

For the rest of the afternoon, my family and I enjoyed the musical entertainment and eventually found a shady spot near the Chesapeake Bay and enjoyed the view and the bay breezes. 

September is Blue Crab Month! Broiled Cheesy Crunch Mini Crab Cakes

So I've been looking for a way to combine two food tastes that I love: cheesy corn curls and blue crab. The natural (and easiest) decision was to make crab cakes. Although I'm originally from the Alabama Gulf Coast, I've lived most of my adult life in Maryland and have adapted to the way Marylanders deal with blue crabs. First of all, Marylanders steam crabs. Many Gulf Coast residents, like my family members in Mobile, boil crabs.

Crab-bejeweled gumbo is the thing (more like, the BOMB) in the South, while hefty crab cakes made with lump crab meat--and not much else--is beloved here in Maryland. Every crab cake recipe, I believe, is a spin of some previous crab-cake recipe that has been tweaked and adjusted to someone's taste. I love the taste and texture of crunchy, cheesy snacks. Hence, my broiled, cheesy and crunchy crab cakes were created. I included Panko bread crumbs in the recipe to ensure the crunch factor!

Cheesy Corn Curls

Maryland blue crab numbers are climbing again after a serious decline. In 2008, the state began limiting crab harvests, shortening the crab harvest season, and regulating the type of gear used to catch crabs. In spring 2012, the state began seeking Marine Stewardship Council certification as a result of its sustainability commitment and practices.

The Monterey Bay "Seafood Watch" organization rates blue crab as a "Good Alternative" seafood, because blue crabs "have the potential to support a sustainable fishery," according to "Seafood Watch." In addition, only crabs caught in the U.S. are considered blue crabs. For more information about blue crabs and sustainability, check out the "Blue Crab Seafood Watch Report" from Monterey Bay Aquarium.

Recipe: Broiled Cheesy Crunch Mini Crab Cakes (Makes 12-14)
(Adapted from the "Maryland Lady Crab Cakes" recipe (page 133) in Chesapeake Bay Crabs by Judy Colbert--Pelican Publishing, 2011)

Ingredients
1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs
1/3 cup cheddar flavored baked corn snacks, shredded in food processor
3 ounces (6 tablespoons) of vegan sandwich spread or eggless mayonnaise
2 large eggs (organic, if possible)
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
1 tablespoon ground, dry mustard
16 ounces Maryland lump blue crab meat 

Chilled Crab Cake Ingredients

Directions

1. Mix all ingredients, except crab, in a large bowl.
2. Add crab and fold other ingredients around and among the crab with a silicon spatula. Do this gently to avoid breaking the crab apart too much.
3. Refrigerate the crab meat and ingredients for one hour. The chilled ingredients can be shaped into balls easier if chilled.
4. Remove the chilled crab ingredients from the refrigerator after an hour (or more) and use a small ice-cream scoop or large spoon to shape crab ingredients into small, palm-sized cakes.
5. Place cakes (or shape them directly) onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet.
6. Put crab cakes under the broiler for 5 minutes (watching them like the proverbial hawk) until they are bubbly and golden.