Crab balls and Asian Salad with Soy and Tamarind dressing

I initially thought that we wouldn't start this blog until I was already on the other side of the world, but once I set it up I was itching to get going.

While we still don't have our flights booked or visas approved, we think dday is in about one month! With this in mind, I have been happily emptying the pantry and trying to use up our stockpile of ingredients. Tucked away in the pantry I found 3 cans of crabmeat. I'm not sure that this is the kind of crab that Stephanie had in mind, but I was willing to give it a go. The original recipe makes 4 crab cakes coated in the breadcrumbs, but I had a bit of trouble shaping the mixture into patties so crab balls it became.

The meal itself was light and refreshing for a hot summer night, but substantial enough to fill me up. The crab balls were golden and crunchy, with a slightly bitter taste to the crumb from the butter. They had a strong crab flavour, which I think was more to do with the canned crab than anything else. The salad was fresh and crunchy and contrasted nicely with the softness of the crab balls.

Crab Balls (Printable Recipe)
adapted from Stephanie's Crab Cakes, pg 360
Makes 16 balls, enough for 2 for a light, summer dinner

250g picked crab meat (I used the meat from 3x140g cans, water squeezed out)
1 tbsp sour cream
1 egg
1/2 spring onion, finely chopped, keep the rest for the salad
2 tbsp chopped coriander
1 tsp fish oil
1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs
salt and chilli flakes to taste
40g butter

Combine all ingredients together except butter in a mixing bowl. Mix until well combined. Shape tablespoon amounts of the mixture into firm balls. If the mixture is a bit too wet to shape, squeeze out some of the excess liquid as you go. Sit in fridge for about 30 mins.

Fry in melted butter until golden on all sides, turning them as they cook, for about 8 mins. Serve on top of Asian Noodle Salad

Asian Noodle Salad with Soy and Tamarind Dressing (Printable Recipe)
Serves 2

100g packet bean thread vermicelli (cellophane or glass noodles), cooked and run under cold water
6 radishes, cut into slices
1 lebanese cucumber, cut in quarters lengthwise and sliced
top half of a baby cos, chopped
top half of spring onion, from crab balls, finely sliced
handful of coriander, chopped

Dressing
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp tamarind concentrate
1 tbsp mirin
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 tbsp sunflower oil
1 tsp sesame oil
chilli flakes, to taste

Combine all salad ingredients in a mixing bowl. Mix all dressing ingredients together, breaking up any lumps of sugar. Taste and adjust if necessary. Pour dressing over salad and use your hands to toss evenly. Divide among two bowls and server with crab balls piled on top.

Hubby's words of wisdom: "Not bad for something with coriander in it"