Happy Crab Cakes

Hello! Crab cakes can be happy, not crabby and kids can enjoy making these fun cakes with you. You can also talk about where crabs live, the types of meat crabs give us and also add exercise to the process while crab walking around the house! I got my first taste of crab cakes at  a restaurant named Bushes in Sea Isle City, NJ and I have been hooked ever since. I couldn't wait to get older to figure out what was in those delectable cakes. Here is my recipe. I hope you and your family enjoys!

HAPPY CRAB CAKES

Ingredients 

2- 8 oz, containers fresh lump crab meat, drained
1 TBSP- red bell pepper diced small
1 TBSP- yellow onion, diced small
1 TBSP- fresh celery stalk, diced small
1 C Mayonnaise
1 C Italian bread crumbs
1 TBSP Old Bay Seasoning
1 TBSP Brown mustard
1 TBSP Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp salt
1 tsp Tabasco sauce

Preparation

Child- open containers of fresh crab meat and dump into a colander to drain
Parent or child over 12- wash, then dice all vegetables
Child- measure all remaining ingredients
Child & Parent- take turns putting all ingredients into a large mixing bowl
Parent- Spray cooking spray on a cookie sheet tray and also on the palms of your child's hands
Child- gently mix all ingredients in your mixing bowl with your hands, trying not to shred up the lumps of crab meat. Mix well to get the flavors evenly spread throughout the mixture
Child- divide the crab cake mixture into 4 equal sized portions
Child- make  4 equally sized hockey puck or "cake" shapes and place them on dish
Parent- place the crab cake dish into the freezer for 20 minutes
Child- Wash your hands with soapy warm water, then turn the oven on 400*F to pre-heat
Parent- remove the chilled crab cakes from the freezer and place the cakes on the sprayed sheet tray
Parent- place the sheet tray in the oven at 400*F for 20 minutes

Garnish with catsup, cocktail sauce or tartar sauce. A squeeze of fresh lemon is also nice. Serve on top of a tossed salad, or on a burger bun as a sandwich. This item goes well with 90 second rices that you can microwave as well as steamed vegetables that also can be microwaved.

ENJOY!

Can your child draw a crab? Can you Google CRAB and learn more about these delicious creatures? You can cut up a paper plate into a crab shape. You can learn what type of crabs come from Alaska. Make food, fun and learning go hand in hand.

What you have learned
1. Reinforced your practice of small dicing techniques
2. Spraying your hands with cooking spray helps to keep the crab cake from sticking to you
3. Learning where your food comes from helps people respect water, earth and understand our eco system

I wish you and your loved ones a fantastic time cooking together and ask that you remember to be a bright positive light in the lives of those around you. See you next week!