Spinach Crab Cakes w/ Strawberry Asparagus Salad

 Spinach Crab Cakes w/ Strawberry Asparagus Salad

 I LOVE salads and I LOVE seafood.  In the summer, that's pretty much all I eat.  This is probably one of the cleanest crab cakes you will ever eat!  No butter or cream added!  Even the egg yolk from the egg is tossed out. And trust me, you won't miss any of it!  This along with many other healthy and delicious recipes will be featured in Summer Body Salads, one of my e-cookbooks I am working on at the moment to help you cut out the carbs and starch and still get your eat on!  


Salad:  spinach, spring mix, asparagus, fresh strawberries, roasted pecans, feta

Crab Cakes

2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
3 garlic cloves
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp basil
2 tsp old bay
1 egg white
1 heaping handful of spinach, coursely chopped
1/2 red pepper (sliced into slivers with mandolin)
1 lb Lump Crab Meat

Makes 4 Crab Cakes

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. (If you don't already have pecans that are already roasted, you can place them on a baking sheet and into the oven while it is preheating.  Just set the timer for 12 minutes.  You can also place them in the microwave for 1 minute towards the end.  This is a great alternative when you are short on time.  Obviously oven roasted pecans are better.)

In a mixing bowl, mix all ingredients except for the crab meat.  Then gently fold the meat into the mixture.  You want to do a good enough job incorporating the meat  without mashing it up.   Spray a baking sheet with a non-stick spray.  To form the crab cakes, find a small plastic or metal bowl that will allow you to pack about one cup of meat into it.  You should be able to make 4 heaping crab cakes from this.   Since we're not using any cream, mayo or melted butter which adds a great amount of stickiness (and also calories), don't be afraid to really pack it in.  Once packed, quickly flip your bowl onto the baking sheet and remove the bowl without disturbing your crab lump.  It's ok if you mess up a few times.  Just repack and try it again.  Bake crab cakes for 20 minutes. 

Meanwhile, chop off approximately one inch off the bottoms of the asparagus.  Then cut them in half and place in boiling water for approximately 1 1/2 to 2 minutes.  During this time, place 2-3 cups of ice in a mixing bowl and fill it with water.  When the color changes from pale green to deep green, you can remove the asparagus with a strainer or strain the pot, then immediately place it into the ice bath. Once it is chilled, drain and set aside. 

Prepare the dressing while the asparagus is in the ice bath.  Once the crab cakes are done, let them sit for a couple of minutes while you plate your salad. 

Boil the asparagus for 1 1/2-2 minutes. Drain. Then place in an ice bath until chilled.  Drain again and set aside in a colander.

Combine all salad ingredients and finally, place crab cakes on top!

 Blackberry Wine Vinaigrette

1/2 cup Manischewitz blackberry wine (In most grocery stores.  Can also substitute blackberry juice)
1/4 cup white vinegar
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp honey
red pepper flakes
Italian seasoning/oregano
Kirkland Organic No Salt Seasoning (you can omit or substitute with any all purpose spice blend)