LOTS OF SHELLZ

I just missed closing time at the butcher last night so I was required to do a little searching for last night's dinner. Fish Tales on Court was still open so I ducked in before they turned out their lights as well. Fish didn't look that great. I saw a bit of monkfish that I considered for a few minutes, but knowing Meena's on again off again feelings for monkfish, I opted for fresh picked crab meat. Crabcakes!

While I was at Pacific Green procuring some vegetables, Meena stopped by Fish Tales and grabbed a couple prepared shrimp cocktails. She went looking for a nice block of cheese, but after failing to locate what she wanted, the cocktail seemed like the best second option. And it was.

While I was making up the crabcakes, I heated up the remainder of the hanger steak and threw it on some peasant bread with a small sliver of st. andre cheese. I finished it with red pepper flakes and a dash of worchestershire sauce. I wasn't expecting much, but it was surprisingly savory. It was like a really rich steak sandwich with a nice spicy bite that cut through it all.

For the final course, I made the crabcakes:
- egg
- crab
- panko
- green onion
- ajvar
- soy sauce
- hoisin
- brussels sprouts

I also whipped up a salad for the 'cakes base:
- brussels sprouts
- shiitake mushrooms
- olive oil
- salt
- black pepper
- balsamic vinegar

The final course didn't look all that appealing. Pretty much devoid of color. Completely. I'll need to work on that if I do this again. But the taste was on. Delicious. The only other problem was the amount of shell in my crab meat. It wasn't totally picked through and I tried to get as much out as I could ... but shellz remained. So again, it was good and we ended up very full. Just a few small issues to remember for next time.