1/2 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 egg yolk
1 1/2 cups cubed white bread
8 ounces jumbo lump crab, picked over for shells
4 slices of Texas toast (thick sliced), cut into circles
Chive oil (recipe follows)
Tartar sauce (recipe follows)
Roasted tomato garnish (recipe follows)
8 chive spears, 3 inches long
Salt and pepper
To make the crab cakes, combine Old Bay, 1/2 cup of mayonnaise and egg yolk in a large bowl. Add bread cubes and crabmeat and gently fold together. Fill a large skillet with olive oil at least 1/8-inch thick. Heat until a piece of bread placed in the hot oil bubbles around the bread. Fry the 4 circles of bread until golden (about 2 minutes) and remove. Add the four crab cakes and fry on each side until golden brown. Place the crab cakes in a 350-degree oven for 5 minutes to warm through. To assemble, place a heaping tablespoon of tartar sauce on the center of a cool plate, place a fried circle of bread on top, and then place the crab cake on top. Fold 2 of the tomato petals together and stand 2 of the chive spears in the tomato petals. Drizzle the plate with chive oil and serve. Serves 4.
Chive Oil
1 bunch of chives
1/2 cup vegetable oil
Combine chives and vegetable oil in a blender and puree until smooth. Season with salt and set aside in a small bowl.
Tartar Sauce
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon shallots, finely chopped
1 tablespoon gherkin pickles, finely chopped
2 teaspoons flat leaf parsley, chopped
1 teaspoon gherkin pickle juice
To make tartar sauce, combine the mayonnaise, shallots, gherkins, parsley and gherkin juice. Season with salt and pepper.
Roasted Tomato Garnish
2 ripe Roma tomatoes
2 tablespoons olive oil
Quarter tomatoes lengthwise, and remove pulp and seeds. Lay flesh-sides-down on a tray and drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper. Place in a 350-degree oven for about 1 hour, or until semi-dry.
