Kid-Friendly Crab Cakes
by Missy Chase Lapine
There's no tastier way to give your child a good dose of fiber and omega-3s than with these authentic yet low-fat crab cakes.
- 1 tablespoon light mayonnaise
- 1 egg white
- 1⁄4 cup White Bean Puree (see Make-Ahead Recipe below)
- 1 tablespoon Dijon or coarse-grain mustard
- 1⁄4 to 1⁄2 teaspoon hot sauce
- 1 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
- 1⁄3 plus 1⁄3 cup wheat germ
- Freshly ground pepper
- 1⁄2 pound fresh lump crabmeat (about 2 cups), drained
- Optional extra boost: handful of chopped green onions, celery, and/or bell peppers
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with oil.
In a medium-size bowl, whisk the egg white, then mix in the White Bean Puree, mustard, hot sauce, Old Bay, 1⁄3 cup of the wheat germ, a few grinds of pepper, and the crabmeat.
Pour the remaining 1⁄3 cup of wheat germ on a plate. Scoop about 1⁄3 cup of crab mixture and form it into a fairly thick cake. Dredge the cakes in the wheat germ, fully covering all sides of the cake, and place the crab cake on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining crab mixture. Spray the top side of the cakes with oil and bake for 10 minutes. Flip once, spray oil on the tops of the cakes, and bake for another 8 to 10 minutes, until golden brown.
White Bean Puree Make-Ahead Recipe:
- 1 (15-ounce) can white beans* (Great Northern, navy, butter, or cannellini)
- 1 to 2 tablespoons water
*If you are starting with dry beans, soak 1 cup for an hour, then cook according to instructions.
Makes about 1 cup of puree
Rinse and drain the beans and put them into the bowl of your food processor. Add 1 tablespoon of the water, then pulse several times to puree, stopping occasionally to scrape the contents to the bottom. The goal is a smooth, but not wet, puree, about the consistency of peanut butter. If necessary, use a little more water, one teaspoonful at a time, to smooth-out the puree until there are no flecks of whole beans visible.
This recipe makes about 1 cup of puree; double it if you want to store another cup. It will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or you can freeze 1⁄4-cup portions in sealed plastic bags or small plastic containers.
Missy Chase Lapine is the former publisher of Eating Well magazine. A mother of two young daughters, she knows how picky kids can be—and she’s got the kitchen experiments to prove it! She is on the Culinary Arts facility of The New School, in New York City, and also gives cooking classes and coaching to busy families hoping to learn how to eat healthier. Her book, The Sneaky Chef, is published by Running Press. Her next book The Sneaky Chef: How to Cheat on Your Man (In the Kitchen) will be out in April 2008. You can learn more about Missy at her website, www.thesneakychef.com
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