If you love crab, you definitely should try this recipe. The crab cakes are loaded with chunky pieces of crab meat…yes mainly just crab meat.

Leftover crab meat? Yes, it sounds kind of unheard, but every time we eat at this particular restaurant, Captain Jack’s, we end up bringing home lots of Alaskan King crab. I usually remove all the meat from the shell and use in salad dishes. Well, this time I decided to make crab cakes…crab cakes with lots of crab meat…big lumps…nothing that will overpower the crab meat…so simple and yet delicious…as a matter of fact I just serve with lemon, nothing else…

I love crab cakes, every time I see crab cakes in the menu I am tempted to order…once I had an awful experience…the crab used in the crab cakes were imitation crab…since then, every time ordering crab cakes I make sure to ask if they use real crab or imitation crab…and sometimes I get the “dirty” look from the server…and I have to explain my bad experience so they do not get offended…

Ingredients:

• 1 large egg
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
• Fresh pepper to taste
• ¼ cup finely chopped fresh parsley
• 1 pound lump crab meat
• ½ to ⅔ cup panko
• Vegetable oil

Method:

Combine the egg, mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire, Old Bay in a small bowl and mix well.

Add the mayonnaise mix to the crab meat and add the chopped parsley. Mix gently.

Add the panko to the carb/mayonnaise mix and fold together until just combined, being careful not to over mix.

Cover the crab mix and place in the refrigerator for approximately 1 hour.

Shape into approximately 8 crab cakes of 1 inch thick, make sure to not pack the cakes too tightly.

Preheat a large nonstick pan to medium heat and coat with vegetable oil. Cook the crab cakes over medium heat until deeply golden brown on both sides.

Transfer to a plate when ready. Serve with lemon.

If you enjoy this simple recipe of crab cakes, you might want to check on other Seafood Recipes from Color Your Recipes.

Thank you for stopping by Color Your Recipes…have a colorful week!

This is a typical and traditional dish from the Japanese cuisine. It is like a stew with all kind of fish cake, daikon, kombu (dry seeweed) in a a kombu and dry fish broth.

I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving with your loved ones…I made it back from Chicago and survived the freezing temperature just a few days in Chicago made me realize how good I have it here in California…

This week I am sharing with you something very different…a traditional Japanese hot pot dish…Yes, you might be asking, how and why I made this very traditional Japanese dish…first of all it is delicious, especially when it is cold out there, and second, believe it or not, my parents, mainly my dad grew up when Taiwan was occupied by Japan, therefore both my parents read and speak Japanese…no need to mention that Japanese food was very common when I was growing up, even after we moved to Brazil.

My mom is a great cook, and many of the dishes that I treasured I learned from her…she can make anything taste good…in spite of her age, she is always looking and sharing new recipes with us. Anyway, to make the very long story short…which I did not…I learned this dish from my mom.

Oden is a traditional Japanese dish and it is based on the broth made with fish (mainly bonito) and kombu (seaweed). All the other ingredients are cooked in this light broth and you can add almost whatever you want. I just picked a few ingredients from the local Japanese store and made this very tasty dish. The trick is to cook ingredients by adding them according to their cooking time, so at the end you have all the ingredients with the right texture, not over cooked or underdone.

Ingredients:

Dashi soup for the oden

• 2 liters water
• Dried bonito fish
• Kombu (about 15 inches)
• 50 ml of sake
• ⅓ cup soy sauce
• 1½ tablespoons sugar

Oden ingredients of your choice

• 2 daikon radish, peeled and cut into approximately 1 ½ inch
• Tied konnyaku
• Plate of various fish paste stick and patties

Method:

Clean the kombu, by rinsing quickly and cut into small strip and tie a knot

Boil water in a large pot, add the dried bonito and kombu to extract the flavor. Strain the dashi soup with a clean cloth.

Add the daikon radish in the dashi soup base and cook until slightly soft. In the meantime, prepare the konnyaku by slicing and making a slit in the middle. Insert on end through the slit. Set aside.

In another big pot, boil water and quickly blanch all the ingredients before adding to the main pot. Once all the ingredients are place into the main pot, cover and let it simmer for one hour.

Serve hot and if desired, dip them in hot mustard.

If you enjoy this Japanese inspired recipe, you want to take a look at the Asian Inspired Recipes from Color Your Recipes.

Did you know that similar dishes like Oden are made in Taiwan and South Korea? This dishes are very commonly sold in small carts as a street food. In Taiwan, oden version is offered in convenience store as well.

Thank you for stopping by Color Your Recipes…have a colorful week!

This is a very simple and easy recipe with red quinoa and vegetables topped with saute shrimp. The combination of nutty quinoa and shrimp is just amazing.

This is a very simple recipe packed with protein…delicious nutty quinoa loaded with veggies, topped with a gingery, lemony shrimp. It is gluten free and very healthy!

I used frozen ginger and frozen lemon…I just find it very easy to store and use. Just grate the frozen ginger or lemon (whole) using a microplane grater/zester on the shrimp…it is clean and totally trouble free. No need to use any chopping board…

Oh! Apparently there is no difference between the red and the white quinoa in terms of nutritional values…but you might need to cook the red one a little longer than the white one and it seems a little more crunchy than the white one. So be my guest and use whatever color of quinoa you wish…white, red or black.

Ingredients:

• ½ cup red quinoa
• 1 tablespoon butter
• ½ tablespoon chicken bouillon, skip is using chicken broth
• 1 cup water or substitute with chicken broth
• 1 cup frozen vegetables of your choice

• ½ lb shrimp, shell removed and deveined
• 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon (frozen lemon)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Cilantro to taste, chopped

Method:

Rinse the quinoa and set aside. In a small bowl place the shrimp, ginger, lemon zest, salt and pepper. Mix gently and place in the refrigerator while preparing the quinoa.

Boil the frozen vegetable according to the instruction in the package, make sure to not overcook it. Drain well and set aside.

Place the water with chicken bouillon in a medium pan with butter (skip the chicken bouillon if using chicken broth). Add the quinoa and bring to boil. Reduce the heat to simmer. Cover and cook until all the water is absorbed, it takes approximately 15 minutes.

Add the vegetables to the cooked quinoa and mix.

In a fry pan, medium to high heat add the olive oil wait until smoking Add the shrimps in a single layer and cook until all the edges turn pink. Flip each shrimp, making sure that they turn pink. Once cooked toss the chopped cilantro and remove the pan from the heat.

Place the quinoa with vegetables in a bowl and top with the shrimp…serve hot…enjoy!

If you enjoy this simple recipe using quinoa, you might want to check Steel Cut Oatmeal with Quinoa (for breakfast), Citrus Kale Salad with Quinoa (for lunch) and Meatloaf with Quinoa (for dinner).

Did you know that quinoa has a higher content in fat as compared to the other cereal grasses? These fats are monounsaturated fat and small amounts of omega-3 fatty acid, which are heart friendly fats.
Moreover, quinoa contains all nine essential amino acids needed in your diet and is high in fiber as well.

Thank you for stopping by Color Your Recipes…have a colorful week!

If you like the umami flavor of miso you will definitely enjoy this simple and easy recipe for this Asian inspired miso salmon.

I love miso, its saltiness with an added touch of sweet to it…it is just a nice symphony to your palate, creating umami flavor. Miso is very versatile and can be used in salad dressing, dips, base for soup and marinating chicken, beef, fish…you name it…even sweet dishes…which I will share with you in the future.

This is a very simple and flavorful recipe for an everyday dinner or a lazy weekend meal. I especially like this simple miso glazed with salmon, but my husband refuses to eat salmon, therefore I used tilapia as well, but feel free to use any fish.

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ tablespoon miso (red)
• 1 tablespoon cooking wine
• 1 ½ tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoon water
• 1 pinch red chili pepper
• ½ teaspoon grated ginger
• 2 pieces of fish (salmon and tilapia)
• 1 teaspoon white sesame
• Cilantro, chopped for garnish

Method:

Mix the miso, cooking wine and water until a smooth paste. Add sugar, ginger and chilli to the miso mix. Coat the fish with miso sauce. Let it marinate in the fridge for a couple of hours or overnight.

Line a baking pan with aluminum foil. Lightly brush the foil with vegetable oil and gently place the fish on it. Broil the fish for 10 to 12 minutes until it’s just cooked (opaque) depending on how thick is the fish and a golden brown crust has formed.

In the meantime, place the sesame seeds on a fry pan on a low heat and pan roast them by stirring constantly. Remove when the seed are slightly brown.

Remove the fish from the oven, transfer to a serving plate, sprinkle the sesame seeds and the freshly chopped cilantro.

Serve hot with veggies and rice.

If you enjoy this simple recipe using miso, you might want to check on Miso Caramel Sauce or Miso Glazed Delicata Squash recipes.

Did you know that miso is a paste from fermented soybean? Miso has been essential in Chinese and Japanese diets for more than 2500 years. Because miso is a fermented product, it is rich in enzymes which might help digestion. The color of miso can vary from light yellow to a deep dark brown and the flavor from slightly sweet to hearty flavor.

Thank you for stopping by Color Your Recipes…have a colorful week!

This is a simple and easy way to cook any fish…poaching. The fish is moist, tender and very flavorful and super healthy. I served this poached salmon with wheatberry and green beans.

I first learned about poaching fish when reading Kitchen Riffs, Poached Salmon…the simple recipe of poaching salmon sure got me intrigued and I went on to try…and boy it is simple and so good…the fish comes out nice and moist.

I don’t know how come I have never thought in poaching fish before as many of Chinese dishes that my mom makes use poaching…well, now I sure use this technique quite often.

Since my husband does not like salmon and I do, when poaching fish, I place in the same pan one salmon and one white fish filet, so we all eat what we enjoy.

If you have never tried poaching fish I urge you to try…no fuss and no mess…

I paired the poached fish with wheat berry, which has a slightly chewy texture and is a good source of dietary fiber and the Green Onion and Ginger Sauce.

Ingredients:

Poached Fish

• Fish of your choice (skinless and boneless)
• Slices of lemon
• 2 to 3 garlic cloves, peeled and crashed
• 2 bay leaves
• Approximately 10 whole peppercorns
• 2 cups water
• Salt to taste

Wheat Berry with Green Bean

• 2/3 cup winter berry
• 2 ½ to 3 cups water
• Pinch salt
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 ½ cup cooked green bean
• Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Poached Fish

Place all the ingredients in a medium pan except the fish. Bring the water to boil and turn to simmer.

Gently add the fish filet and simmer for approximately 7 to 8 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish. Turn the heat off and leave the fish for another 1 or 2 minutes.

Remove the fish from the water and serve.

Wheatberry with Green Bean

Wash and soak the wheat berries overnight. Bring the water to boil in a medium pan and add a pinch of salt. Once the water starts to boils, add the wheat berries.

Bring to boil and reduce the heat to simmer, cover and let it cook for 30 minutes. Check for doneness, it should be chewy, not hardy…if not done, continue cooking until the desire texture, make sure that there is enough water in the pan.

Drain the wheat berries. In a medium pan add olive oil and the wheat berries, sauté in medium heat and add the green beans. Add salt and pepper to taste, serve warm.

If you enjoy this simple recipe of poaching fish, you might want to check Butter Lemon Swai recipe using sous vide method.

Did you know that wheatberries are unprocessed wheat kernels? They are very nutritious and rich in vitamins B1 and B3.

Have a wonderful week and thank you so much for visiting Color Your Recipes!

I always like fruits in savory dishes…back in Brazil during festive time like Christmas and New Year we always have turkey or ham with fruits, therefore serving savory dishes with fruits always remind me of my childhood.

Strawberries are everywhere…and they are at its freshest season. After making all kind of drinks with strawberries and eating them fresh or topped with condensed milk, I decide to make this simple and easy strawberry salsa,  served with a simple flour coated hake and scallops. It was divide…so refreshing and so summery.

Ingredients:

Strawberry Salsa

8oz fresh strawberry clean, hulled and cut in small pieces
2 tablespoons sweet onion, finely chopped
¼ cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
Fresh lemon juice to taste
Jalapeno to taste, (optional, if you like it spicy, I did not add…this time)

Seafood

1 hake, filet
4 scallops, large

¼ cup all-purpose flour
Salt and pepper to taste
1 ½ tablespoon olive oil

Method:

Strawberry Salsa

Mix all the ingredients in a medium bowl and chill for 1 hour before serving.

Seafood

In a deep plate, mix the flour with fresh ground pepper and salt. Coat the fish and or scallop with the flour mix.

In a fry pan add the olive oil and pan fry the fish filet and the scallops. Make sure that you have both sides of the fish filet browned and fully cooked. Sear the scallops both side to your likeness.

Remove from the heat and top with the fresh strawberry salsa.

Serve immediately.

If you enjoyed this simple recipe of strawberry salsa you might want to check on Strawberry Frozen Yogurt or Soft Cheesecake with Strawberry Sauce.

Did you know that 1 cup of strawberries contains all the vitamin C that you need for the day? Moreover, strawberries contain a combination of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory nutrients, therefore many research support the benefit of strawberry in regards to prevention of cardiovascular disease, regulating blood sugar in type 2 diabetes and prevention of certain cancers.

Thank you for stopping by Simple Recipes [dot] Me and have a great week!

We are going to a family “get together” cruise. After many years trying to get everyone’s schedules we finally settle down for this Mexican cruise…We will be on the cruise for 7 days , stopping at 3 cities: Cabo San Lucas, Porto Vallarta and Mazatlan. Since the internet service is very limited and extremely expensive at the ship I probably will not be reading your blog, sorry about that, but will definitely catch up once back in land.

Before we leave, I’d like to leave a very and simple way to serve shrimp.
This dish is really easy and simple to prepare…and it is delicious. Serve the shrimps with salad or as an appetizer. By the way, Happy Easter!

Ingredients:

½ lb shrimp
2 clove garlic minced
¼ cup green onion finely chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
Pinch of paprika
Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

Turn the oven to 450F

In a bowl, place the shrimp, garlic, green onion, the spices and the olive oil. Mix gently and place the shrimp in a oven safe dish.

Bake for 5~7 minutes. Serve hot. Do not over cook otherwise the shrimp will have a rubbery texture.
As I mention, could not be easier and simpler than this 

Did you know that shrimp have a high resistance to toxins? Since shrimp are an important source of food for large animals, their high resistance to toxins may contribute to high toxin levels in their predators.
Shrimps are high in calcium, iodine and protein. Shrimps have significant levels of cholesterol, but do not contain saturated fat, it is considered healthy for the circulatory system. Moreover, shrimp is considered a low caloric food.

Thank you for stopping by Simple Recipes and have a great week!

Crab Cakes…with Panko, and Some Pictures…

I am baaaack…and want to share with you a simple recipe for crab cakes and some of my vacation pictures.

I love crab cakes, every time when in restaurants that serve crab cakes I am ordering…so I decided to make myself. After searching for recipes throughout the internet I opted out to come out with my own version, which I must confess that I kind of mix and match what I thought I would like in my crab cake…and yes I used panko for the crust. After making these crab cakes I realized that they are so simple to make…

The good thing about making your own crab cakes, is that you can store them in the freezer and bake or pan fry anytime when you feel like having it. Just freeze on a flat tray until frozen so the cakes stay nicely shaped, then you can place them in a Ziploc bag.

When it is time to serve, just defrost for approximately half an hour (do not have to be totally defrosted) and you can either bake or pan fry with a little oil. I can guarantee you that you will not be able to tell that they were frozen. It is very good to have it handy in the freezer.

Ingredients:

1 lb. crab meat in can
2 small potatoes, cooked and slightly mashed
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 green onions finely chopped
1 egg
1 teaspoon dry parsley (I’d rather use fresh one, but did not have at the time)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
½ teaspoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon bay seasoning
Salt and pepper to taste.

Panko

Canola oil, spray

Method:

In a big bowl, add the crab meat, green onion, bell pepper, parsley, bay seasoning, salt and pepper and mix gently. Add to the crab mixture the lemon juice, lemon zest and the egg. Again very gently because I like my crab cakes with lumps of crab meat and not all smashed.

In a deep dish place the panko, make

Make small patties and coat with panko.

Spray the patties with the canola oil and bake in a 400F pre heated oven for approximately 20 minutes.

Serve hot.

I hope you enjoy this simple recipe for crab cakes and as I mention, great to have them in the freezer for an elegant appetizer of even as a meal with a side of salad.

Now the pictures…lots of pampering and relaxation. Can you guess where did we go?

and yes…those are my toes 

If you still wondering where we were…it was Cancun, Mexico!

Thank you for stopping by Simple Recipes!