For the last couple weeks my home has been filled with the roar of cannons and splashing of waves upon the Jolly Roger. There have been pirate fights and misadventure aplenty. Captain Hook has invaded my home. You may think this means that one of my children has been dressing up and you would be mostly right. Only this child doesn’t play dress up, he becomes his character. He is a method actor, until mom has to step in and ruin the fun. I’m all for imaginative play, but it is hard for an already wiggly four year old to feed or dress themselves when one hand is perpetually encased in a hook. If only I could get him to truly appreciate Captain James Hook’s interest in good form.
I’m always amazed by my daughter’s willingness to go along with his schemes. In her short two years of life she has already referred to him by many variations of his given name,as well as T-bone, Woody, Captain Hook, and whatever Monster Truck is the current favorite. She scoots up next to him with a giant, cheesy grin and a “Hello, Captain Hook” with no thought to it.
I truly believe watching their imagination at work is one of the greatest gifts of parenting and it has pulled me back from “the depths of despair” many times. So I like to play with them and, in this case, it came in the form of a pirate-y palate.
We are used to seafood here, the pacific ocean is close and fishing is a state staple but crab is a little more of a luxury. In fact, if we are lucky enough to have actual crab…I wouldn’t bother to make cakes. That would be just dipped in garlic butter and enjoyed. No reason to mess with a good thing. Imitation crab,on the other hand, allows a little more opportunity to play.
The kids and I got to put this together as a team and have fun mashing up the cakes.
Ingredients
16 oz Crab Meat or Imitation Crab Meat
2 Eggs
1/4 cup Mayo
2 teaspoons Worcestershire
2 teaspoons Prepared Mustard
2 teaspoons Parsley
1 1/2 tsp Tony Chacheres Creole Seasoning
5 Chopped Chives
1 cup Panko Bread Crumbs or other filler (cracker crumbs work well)
Directions
Step 1- Gather all your flavorings and wet ingredients, everything except the crab and bread crumbs.
Step 2- Whisk them all together so they are fully incorporated.
Step 3- Flake in crab and mix together. It works well to mix up an hour or so ahead of time and let sit in the refrigerator to soften the crumbs and make more malleable. This is a great time to chop your chives right into the mixture. Get out a cutting board if necessary or make good use of those kitchen scissors to save on dish washing. I will always choose that option!
Step 4- Heat the oven to 375* and form into cakes
Step 5- Place on a pan to bake for about 20 minutes, flipping at 10 minutes.
Step 6- Remove from oven and enjoy with a Siracha Mayo.
I served mine with leftover Cornbread and a Jambalaya inspired dish made from tupperwares of random chopped vegetables, pre-cooked rice, tomato sauce,and more Johnny Chacheres Seasoning.
There are few things that make me quite as happy as partnering with my children in their imagination…utilizing leftovers well may be a close second though. The stewarding of my time with my children and the stewarding of the resources I am blessed with are some of my greatest passions.
Fireweed Faith 