Fit Fare

I am a big fan of boiled crabs. As a child in New Orleans, maybe aged 4 or 5, my parents would take me to Brunings Restaurant at West End to share a meal with my dad’s family. The table would be stacked high with hot boiled crabs and we would all eat with abandon. I learned at an early age how to quickly pick the meat out of the crabs. A necessary skill when you have siblings and cousins. Crab is low in fat and calories and a good source of protein. We didn’t eat the crabs because they were good for us, we ate the them because they were just the most delicious food we had ever tasted.

As luck would have it, lump crabmeat was on sale at my supermarket this week. Searching through my Louisiana recipes I found one for New Orleans Crab Cakes in Enola Prudhomme’s Low Calorie Cajun Cooking cookbook. I paired the crab cakes with a salad of fresh spring greens from our local CSA. These crab cakes are lower in fat and calories than traditional crab cakes because they are baked in the oven and egg whites are used as the binder.

New Orleans Crab Cakes
makes 4 servings

1 Tbsp reduced calorie margarine
2 Tbsp finely chopped onions
2 Tbsp finely chopped green onions
2 Tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley
1/2 lb fresh lump crabmeat, picked over
1/2 c fine dry breadcrumbs
1 Tbsp creole mustard, such as Zatarain’s
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp granulated garlic
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp ground red pepper
1 egg plus 1 egg white

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

In a medium skillet over medium heat, melt the margarine. Add the onions, green onions, parsley and saute for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Add all the remaining ingredients except the egg and egg white; saute for 1 minute. Remove the skillet from the heat and allow to cool slightly.

In a small bowl, beat the egg and egg white together. Add the beaten egg to the crabmeat mixture, stirring well to blend. Shape the crabmeat into 6 crab cakes, about 1/2-inch thick.

Spray the inside of a shallow baking pan with nonstick vegetable cooking spray. Place the crab cakes in the pan and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven, and use a spatula to turn the crab cakes. Bake for an additional 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Per serving: 80 calories; 3 grams total fat.