food

Crab Cakes, Artichoke and White Bean Salad

by Jennifer Hess on March 23, 2007

Mike and I started our last meal at Dressler with a delicious warm artichoke salad, and since that night I have wanted to try to recreate it at home. I love the combination of crab and artichokes, so I thought the salad would make a nice accompaniment to crabcakes. My version of the salad wasn’t quite as good as the original - one of my artichoke bottoms broke in half and the dressing needed a little more zip - but it was good enough that I’ll attempt it again.

Artichoke and White Bean Salad

2 artichokes
2 lemons
1 can cannellini or great northern beans
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 cup tiny greens

Trim the artichokes down and remove the choke - you want to be left with a little bowl-shaped piece of the bottom/heart for each one. Cut one lemon in half and squeeze it into a pot of water, then throw the halves in. Place the artichokes into the pot, cover and bring to a boil. Cook the artichokes until they are tender, then drain them and set them aside.

Halve and juice the remaining lemon, add salt and pepper and whisk in the olive oil. Drain and rinse the beans and toss them with the dressing. Mound beans on top of the artichokes, top with greens and drizzle a little bit of remaining dressing over the top.

Crab Cakes

1 lb. crab meat
1/2 cup red bell pepper, diced
1/2 cup shallot, diced
3 eggs
1 tablespoon wholegrain mustard
1 tablespoon Old Bay seasoning
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
Several dashes of hot pepper sauce
1/2 to 1 cup panko, plus additional for coating
Oil for frying

Beat eggs in a large bowl, then mix in mustard, Old Bay, salt, pepper and hot sauce. Add crab meat, bell pepper and shallot and gently combine. Add as much panko as you need to the mixture so that it holds together when formed. Form into six cakes and coat the outsides of each with panko, gently pressing it in. Fry cakes in batches in hot oil, then drain on paper towels.