Lump Crab Cakes w/ Arugula & Oven-Dried Tomato Knorr Fettuccine Scampi
We’re eating buttery sauteed lump crab cakes served over Knorr Italian Sides Scampi Fettuccine enhanced with oven-dried grape tomatoes, arugula & lemon zest and topped with a garnish of bright grapefruit marinated shaved fennel salad.
Love, or lust… or the desire for one or the other… will make people do crazy things. Like for instance, move back to the tropics just to see if a spark can develop with someone you’ve only hung out with twice. Not that I’m speaking from personal experience or anything. I mean, do I seem like the type of person to throw caution to the wind and move across the globe just to see what could be? (Don’t answer that.) 😉
Love can also make you do crazy things like feel the need to go out to a wildly expensive Valentine’s dinner where you eat course after course of decadent food. When you walk away, you’re so stuffed that you just want to go to sleep rather than enjoy the… uh, companionship of your loved one. 😉 I much prefer staying in on Valentine’s Day, eating a relatively light meal then spending the rest of the evening exploring and celebrating the bonds and connections of the one I’m with. Tomorrow, rather than going out and dropping a load of money, stay in and give this recipe a try. It’s super quick and easy, not too heavy, and guaranteed to impress. Happy Valentine’s Day, everybody! Xoxo!
*I am a professional recipe developer being paid by Knorr as part of the Knorr 4 promotion. While Knorr is footing the bill, all content, recipes and opinions comes directly from my (sometimes offbeat and slightly cheesy) brain. 😉
For the Crab Cakes:
2 tbsp coarse whole grain mustard
3 tbsp mayonnaise
1 egg, beaten
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
3 tbsp fennel fronds, finely chopped
1/3 cup panko bread crumbs
1/2 lb freshly picked crab meat, preferably jumbo lump
1 tsp canola oil
1 1/2 tbsp butter
To Serve:
Knorr Scampi w/ Sun-Dried Tomatoes & Arugula (recipe below)
Grapefruit Marinated Fennel Salads (recipe below)
2 fennel frond pieces, to garnish (optional)
Preheat a large saute pan over medium heat for 4-5 minutes until hot.
While the pan is preheating, in a bowl, mix together first 8 ingredients (through the crab meat) until evenly incorporated, trying not to break up the large lumps of crab. Form mixture into two evenly sized patties.
Add the canola oil and butter to the preheated pan. Once butter has melted, add crab cakes to the pan. Cook crab cakes over medium heat for about 4-6 minutes or until a golden brown crust is visible around the bottom of the cakes. Carefully flip the crab cakes using a wide spatula and cook for another 4-6 minutes until golden.
Remove from pan.
To serve, place half of the scampi on a plate, top with a crab cake then add half of the fennel salad on to the crab cake. If desired, garnish the stack with a fennel frond. Buen Provecho!
Approximate cooking time: 15 minutes
Approximate servings: 2
1 packet Knorr Italian Sides Scampi
1/2 cup, loosely packed, julienned sun-dried tomatoes or oven-dried grape tomatoes
2 cups, densely packed, fresh baby arugula
juice & zest from 1/2 lemon
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
Cook Knorr Scampi according to directions on the packet, using butter. Once removed from the heat to let stand, stir in remaining ingredients until the arugula is wilted. Let stand as directed for 2 minutes. Serve hot.
Approximate cooking time: 15 minutes
Approximate servings: 2
1/2 bulb fennel, thinly shaved
1/3 cup freshly squeezed pink grapefruit juice
kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
1 1/2 tbsp fennel fronds, chopped
In a bowl, mix together shaved fennel and grapefruit juice. Season to taste with kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Refrigerate for 1 hour to allow flavors to marry. Stir in chopped fennel fronds, taste and readjust seasoning with kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper as desired.
Active cooking time: 5 minutes
Inactive cooking time: 1 hour
Approximate servings: 2
I don’t usually go for crab cakes because I’m always afraid they will be mushy and I really dislike mushy crab cakes. These crab cakes have a beautiful sear. I could definitely go for these on Valentine’s Day, but unfortunately, I will be in class becoming familiar with skeletons.
Crabs are really hard to cook, no matter what dish it is. Did you study at a culinary school or do you just really love cooking? Coz this looks terrific! You have a knack for food photography too, to add to that.
I’ve had a love affair with crab cakes for many, many years. But for the last 5 or 6 years I do not recall having them very much. So, I’ve decided I’m going to make some crab cakes since it has been so long since I’ve had them.
So, thanks for the recipe and I will look forward to eating those mouth-watering crab cakes very soon.
Grandma Kat
XOXOXOXOXO