Wednesday, December 17, 2008

A Mesa Grill kind of dinner

It's dungeness crab season here in California, and I'm trying to make the most of it. Tonight I made this recipe for blue corn crusted crab cakes from the Mesa Grill cookbook. I made quite a few changes to the original recipe - I liked the concept of the blue cornmeal crust and the use of creme fraiche as a binding agent, but I wasn't wild about the large amounts of dijon mustard and horseradish. I was concerned that these ingredients would overpower the crab, so I eliminated the horseradish completely and cut the mustard back to about a teaspoon. My crab mixture was quite loose, so I threw in a few tablespoons of breadcrumbs and added an egg to make sure that the cakes would stay intact in the pan.

I served the crab cakes with another recipe from the Mesa Grill cookbook - corn with roasted chiles and creme fraiche. The original recipe calls for fresh corn, but I think this worked quite well with frozen corn. The roasted poblano and serrano chiles add a lot of flavor with a bit of heat, and the creme fraiche makes the whole dish taste creamier and richer. I never have cotija cheese in the house, so I use feta as a substitute.

I have eaten at Mesa Grill in Las Vegas twice now, and always seem to have good luck with the recipes in this book. Bobby Flay definitely has a talent for putting together great flavor combinations.

24 comments:

Rosa's Yummy Yums said...

A scrumptious dinner! I love that kind of food!

cheers,

Rosa

Barbara Bakes said...

I have never used creme fraiche before. I'll have to look for it at the store. Such a fresh tasty meal!

Culinary Wannabe said...

Wow - the blue color of the cakes is spectacular and such a surprise! I've never actually eaten at Mesa Grill here in NYC, but I've been to Bar American and loved it!

The Blonde Duck said...

It looks divine!

LizNoVeggieGirl said...

I love Bobby Flay!! :-)

Katherine said...

I totally agree with you about Bobby Flay's knack for putting flavor combinations together. I love every recipe I have tried of his and his show makes my mouth water. These look yummy.

Erica said...

This looks really good! I hate all the extras in crab cakes and usually opt out of most of them. I want to taste crab when I eat crab cakes! I don't mind if they fall apart a bit when I make them at home because I'm more for the taste than the presentation! I bet yours had wonderful taste!

grace said...

yeah...bobby flay dishes definitely rock my world. he knows his southwestern cuisine. :)

Pam said...

Dinner looks delicious. I would be very happy to have this meal.

La Cuisine d'Helene said...

I totally love crab. I would like to taste your meal.

Judy said...

I love Bobby Flay, but I agree with you about certain flavors overpowering crabs. This year we caught our own blue claws and really had a glut of the most wonderful meaty, delicious crabs. So much that I started a new blog -- freecrabrecipes.blogspot.com -- to post crab recipes. The crabcakes we like the best have the least in them.

Katie said...

That looks a-MA-zing. I LOVE CRAB. I'm jealous of your crab season!

priscilla joy said...

This looks so delicious! Yumminess, so good looking!

Unknown said...

Creme fraiche has to be one of the most delicious things on earth! This crab cake recipe sounds wonderful and I agree that leaving the horseradish out was a good move. Some people put too many flavors on the crab and ruin it. While away last week we ate in a dive of a place that served the best crab cakes I had ever had- who knew!

susan said...

looks good

Pearl said...

ohhhh sara that looks so good!

Karin W. said...

Of all species of shellfish, crab is one of the most outstanding you can serve, I think.

Maria said...

Bobby Flay is great! You did a nice job!

Ana Powell said...

I love sea food and your crab cakes just look divine.
Great side dish too.
Wishing you a lovely Christmas.
Ana x

Cakebrain said...

Dungeness crab is the only crab I ever eat! It's so good! Your dinner looks yummy. I'm craving crab now!

Unknown said...

These really do look flavorful! Nice Job!

Dewi said...

Looks really good, Sara.
I have to go to Halfmoon Bay to buy it, I wonder if they have blue crab?
Have a wonderful season.
Elra

Annie said...

Sounds delicious! Perfect tweeking of the recipe too!
Have a safe and happy holiday!

Anonymous said...

I love the beans you have on the side. Always a perfect accompaniment to the main dish.