where the image is meant to titillate and inspire the cook
Dungeness crab…with its sweet, succulent, ocean-y taste is paired with umami-laden cellophane noodles in this outstanding yet very easy recipe by Charles Phan.
Charles Phan’s The Slanted Door: Modern Vietnamese Food cookbook captures the essence of his San Francisco Bay Area restaurants’ iconic dishes. This dish is one of their most popular.
The Florida House of Representatives created an official day to honor the icon earlier this year, passing legislation to declare August 30th as “Jimmy Buffett Day.”
The resolution seeks to celebrate the life and music of Jimmy Buffett, whose “free-spirited life and significant contributions to national and state culture are commended and celebrated.”
“Jimmy Buffett honed his art as a singer-songwriter in the bars of Key West,” the resolution states. “And the laid-back island lifestyle of the Florida Keys was the foundation on which he built his signature tropical rock sound.”
“Honest to God, when Jimmy comes to my restaurant, he orders gumbo. He loves gumbo. He can get anything else anywhere else. But he can’t get a good gumbo just anywhere,” said his sister, Lucy Buffett.
“My grandmother’s old-fashioned gumbo is a crab and shrimp gumbo with tomatoes and okra—what some people call a summer gumbo,” Lucy Buffett said. “It’s still the one I make most often.”
Continue reading “Jimmy Buffett Day and His Favorite Gumbo!”
Fabulous Dungeness Crab & Louie Dressing are the stars of this show. Tomato wedges, asparagus spears, cucumber slices, and hard boiled eggs definitely need not apply. 👎
This is a Crab Lover’s Crab Louie Salad. Cold crunchy shredded iceberg lettuce is lightly dressed with the terrific Louie Dressing, then a giant mound of Dungeness leg and shoulder crabmeat is piled on top. More dressing, a sprinkle of chopped chives and cracked black pepper. That’s it. Maybe a squeeze of lemon. It’s simply scrumptious with no rubbery eggs nor off-peak vegetables to distract from that stellar gift from the sea.
Apparently, no one can agree on the origins of the Crab Louie, but it is widely known that it is from the West Coast – San Francisco, Portland, and Seattle all have claims to the recipe. That being said, a bold wine pairing from the West Coast is in order. Here we serve the salad with Rombauer Vineyards 2022 Carneros Chardonnay.
The rich and buttery characteristics of many California Chardonnays complement the sweetness and delicate texture of crab meat. The wine’s acidity can also help cut through the richness of the creamy dressing. Rombauer is famous for its complex aromas, intense fruit flavors, and lively acidity.
Zucchini is a popular and bountiful summer crop loved for its mild flavor and culinary versatility. But, unfortunately, by itself, zucchini can be a bit boring. Enter crab, Dungeness crab…with its sweet, succulent, ocean-y taste. Here, shredded crabmeat in a lemony mayonnaise mixture pairs with the silky zucchini soup for a stunning summer potage.
Continue reading “Chilled Zucchini Soup with Dungeness Crab”
The sweet ocean-y taste of Dungeness crab is complemented by the fresh herbal notes of shiso leaves – reminiscent of mint, lemon, anise, and basil. The miso mayonnaise adds creamy, nutty, garlicky, and umami characteristics. This two-bite nigiri sushi is a morsel of delight with a complex sweet/savory/herby flavor.
Dungeness crabs get their name from the port of Dungeness, Washington. They are found along the West Coast of North America, typically from Alaska’s Aleutian Islands to Point Conception, near Santa Barbara, California.
