Cyclops Kitty

This twist on the classic Cuban "Media Noche" Sandwich is delicious. That's about the best way for me to describe it

Serves: 4     Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

For the crab Cakes:
1 pound backfin lump blue crab meat, picked thru to remove bits of shell
2 strips of bacon, finely chopped
2 tablespoons minced shallots
1/2 red bell pepper, cored, seeded and finely chopped
1/2 green bell pepper, cored, seeded and finely chopped
1 rib of celery finely chopped
1 clove of garlic minced
1/4 cup minced fresh herbs (cilantro, parsley and or basil)
3 to 4 tablespoons fine cracker crumbs
1 1/2 teaspoons Old Bay Seasoning
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
Pinch of cayenne pepper
1 egg beaten
1 to 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
3 tablespoons clarified butter
For the Sandwich:
4 bullet shaped slightly sweet rolls 6 to 7 inches in length or sections of French, Italian or cuban bread of the same length
8 teaspoons mayonaise
8 teaspoons Dijon mustard
4 ounces sliced swiss cheese (4 slices)
12 thin slices of ripe tomato
4 to 8 iceberg lettuce leaves
12 to 16 thin slices dill pickle
4 tablespoons of butter or margarine, room temperature
How to make it

Crab Cakes:
Fry the bacon in a frying pan over medium heat until lightly browned (about 2 minutes)
Add the shallots, bell pepper, celery and garlic and cook until soft but not browned (about 2 minutes)
Transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl and let cool.
Stir in the crab, herbs, cracker crumbs, Old Bay, salt ad pepper, and cayenne.
Fold in the egg and enough cream to get a moist but firm consistency. If too wet, add more cracker crumbs.
Wet hands with water and form the crab mixture into 8 small patties. Wrap in waxed paper and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
heat clarified butter in a non stick frying pan and Pan fry the crabcakes until crusty and golden brown - approx 3 minutes each side.
Drain on a paper towel and set aside.
Sandwich:
Slice open the rolls lengthwise and spread the bottom halves with the mayo and the top halveswith the mustard.
Layer the sandwich with 2 crab cakes on each bottom, swiss cheese, 3 tomato slices on each, lettuce and then the pickle slices.
Cover with top of the roll.
Lightly butter the entire outsides of the sandwiches and place in a skillet over medium heat.
Pleace a weight, like a bacon press on top or flatten the sandwich with a long spatula.
Cook the sandwiches until crusty and golden brown on both sides approx 2 to 3 minutes per side, adding butter to the pan as necessary.
Slice the sandwiches in half on the diagonal and serve at once!

The mixture of the sour cream, cheese, seafood, spices and salsa make this a very pleasing and delicious main course.

Serves: 6   Time:  35 minutes

Ingredients

12 6" flour tortillas
4 cups shredded monterey jack cheese
2 cups flaked blue crab meat - picked thru to remove shells
20 to 25 steamed medium shrimp, halved
1 medium onion chopped (approx 1 cup)
4 tablespoons melted butter
1/2 cup all purpose flour
2 3/4 cups chicken broth
1 cup sour cream
1 cup finely chopped green bell pepper
1 1/4 cups tomatillo salsa
2 tablespoons Old Bay Seasoning
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin powder
How to make it

Heat an ungreased medium skillet over medium heat and soften tortillas one at a time for 15 seconds per side.
Preheat oven to 350F and spray a 13x9 baking dish with Pam or some other nonstick cooking spray.
Combine 3 cups of the cheese, the crabmeat, shrimp, onion, most of the Old bay (leave about 1/2 to 1 teaspoon to add to the salsa), and the 1/2 teaspoon cumin in a medium bowl and mix well.
Spoon a 1/4 cup of the mixture on each tortilla.
Fold the sides of the tortillas and then roll to enclose all the filling.
Arrange seam side down in the baking dish.
Heat butter in a medium saucepan over med-high heat.
Add flour and mix well.
Stir in chicken broth gradually and cook stirring continually until sauce thickens.
Add sour cream and mix well.
Remove from heat and stir in the bell peppers and then spread over the enchiladas.
Bake until bubbly - about 30 minutes or so.
Take remaining Old Bay seasoning and mix it well with the tomatillo salsa, then pour it over the top of the enchiladas.
Sprinkle with the remaining 1 cup of cheese and bake for another 5 minutes or until the cheese has melted, remove from oven and serve!

This is the bomb....

Serves: 4 Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

1 lb. lump blue backfin crabmeat picked thru to remove shells
1 tbsp. butter
1 tbsp. flour
1/2 c. milk
1 tbsp. minced onion
2 slices white bread, cubed, crusts removed
1/2 c. mayonnaise
2 tbsp. lemon juice (1 lemon) separated
1/2 tsp. salt
Few dashes pepper
2 tbsp. butter
2-3 medium sized Jalapeño peppers, deseeded and chopped
paprika for sprinkling
5 slices bacon cut into quarters
20 jumbo shrimp, peeled, deveined and butterflied with tail shells removed
How to make it

Preheat oven on broil to 500F.
In medium size pan melt butter, mix in flour.
Slowly add milk stirring constantly to keep mixture smooth and free of lumps.
Cook, stirring over medium heat until mixture comes to a boil and thickens.
Mix in onion and bread cubes.
Allow to cool for about 30 to 45 minutes
Fold in mayonnaise, 1tbsp. lemon juice, jalapeño and salt and pepper.
In another pan, melt butter until lightly browned.
Add crabmeat and toss lightly.
Combine with sauce mixture.
Spoon crabmeat mixture evenly into the opened butterflied shrimp.
Sprinkle paprika over top and fold shrimp to enclose the crabmeat filling..
Wrap each with 1/4 slice of bacon and push 5 each on 4 bamboo or metal skewers making sure to keep bacon firmly wrapped around the shrimp.
Place skewers on broiling pan and broil for 7 to 8 minutes, rotating the skewers every 2 min or so. Make sure bacon is slightly crispy and shrimp are cooked all the way thru.
Remove from broiler and drizzle with remaining tbsp. lemon juice.

This appetizer is a great conversation food - best served where all guests can sit around it at the table and break off pieces of the bread and dip or spread the crab dip over it.

Serves: 8  Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

1 10oz package frozen spinach, thawed and chopped fine
1 8oz package cream cheese, softened
1 6 to 7oz jar marinated artichoke hearts, chopped fine
1/2 lb backfin lump blue crab meat, picked thru for shells and broken up into smaller bits
1/2 teaspoon Green Tobasco sauce
1/2 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
1 6 to 8" sized round loaf of bread
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
How to make it

Preheat oven to 350F
Toss artichoke hearts, spinach and crab meat in a mixing bowl.
Fold in cream cheese, Old Bay and Green Tobasco
Cut round loaf of bread into a bowl large enough to fit 3/4 of the dip into it, by cutting a "lid" from the top.
With a pastry brush, spread the olive oil all over the inside and outside of the bowl and place in the over on a cookie sheet for 5 minutes until the inside gets a little crusty.
Remove from oven and fill with the crab dip, letting it pile up over the top of the bowl.
Place back in oven and cook for 10 minutes, then sprinkle the shredded Mozz on top and put back in oven until melted, but not browned (if you want it browned, add the mozz before baking the crab dip, otherwise the bread will end up too hard)
Remove from oven, place on serving plate.