Seafood Casserole

2 cups water
1 cup uncooked white rice
1 lb. crab meat
2 pkg. (12 oz. each) frozen shrimp, thawed
2 cups mayonnaise
1 cup chopped onion
2 cups milk
1 tsp. hot pepper sauce
½ cup sliced almonds
10 buttery round crackers, crushed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (175 degrees C).  Lightly grease a 3 quart casserole dish.  In a saucepan, bring water to a boil.  Add rice and stir.  Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.  Combine crab meat, shrimp, rice, mayonnaise, onion, milk, hot sauce, and almonds in casserole dish.  Mix well.  Cover top of casserole with crumbled crackers.  Bake uncovered for 30-40 minutes or until casserole is bubbling.

Comments:  This recipe came form Author Susan Whitfield and went along with my review of her latest book Sticking Point.  This is a rather expensive dish to make due to the price of shrimp and crab meat but believe me it is well worth the extra now and then.  I did make one change and that was in the addition of 1 cup of shredded cheese.  This dish comes out rich and so good.  6 of my food testers had the pleasure of enjoying this dish and they all wanted to know when I would make it again.  Oh yeah.  I did make it a little healthier by using brown rice.  One other tip is to bake this in a 9 x 12 x 2 baking dish and add extra crackers on top.  I cooked mine in a deep dish and ended up cooking it a bit longer.  Next time I will use the shallower dish. 

Comments from Food Tester Carol:  The sweet mystery of crab and the salty freshness of shrimp dance together in this recipe.  They don't need to blend but to keep their own separate identities surrounded by a rich sauce.  This is a seafood casserole that is delicious and can't fail to please!

Crab Meat Quiche

3 eggs, slightly beaten
1 cup sour cream
1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
3/4 tsp. salt
1 cup shredded cheese (your choice of flavor)
1/2 lb. crab meat (or 1/2 lb. imitation crab meat chopped)
1 can (3 oz.) French fried onions
1 sheet Puff Pastry

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  Combine eggs, sour cream, Worcestershire sauce and salt.  Stir in cheese, crab meat and onions.  Pour into a pie plate sprayed with non-stick spray.  Top with Puff Pastry sheet, trimming edges to fit.  Bake 55 to 60 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.  Serves 6

Comments:  I found this recipe in a vintage cookbook and made a couple of changes.  I used a blend of cheese instead of the Swiss the original called for.  I changed from crab meat to imitation crab which turned out delicious and a lot cheaper.  I also topped mine with a sheet of puff pastry instead of using a pie shell.  The puff pastry turned out beautiful.  It was flaky and so much better than a shell would.

Crabby Rice Patties

Chicken broth
1 cup instant rice, uncooked
2 cans (6 oz. each) crabmeat, drained, cleaned
1/2 cup shredded cheese
1/4 cup butter
Old Bay seasoning, to taste
2 eggs
Panko bread crumbs
Cooking Oil

Cook rice in chicken broth according to cooking directions on package of rice.  Stir in crabmeat, cheese, butter and Old Bay.  Add eggs.  Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.  Heat oil in large frying pan.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Pour Panko into a shallow bowl.  Shape into patties, press patties into Panko to coat.  Fry until browned on both sides.  Place on a baking sheet covered with foil.  Bake 20 minutes.

Tips/Changes - I mixed everything but the eggs so I could taste my mixture as I went along.  This way you can add as much or as little of the Old Bay.  You can add more or less cheese, I used cheddar but you can change that to fit your own taste.  I used plain Panko bread crumbs but I'm sure seasoned would be good.  I haven't tried it yet but I want to give this a try using Salmon instead of crab.  Bet that one will be good too.