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● Herbed Crab Cakes
Polpa di Granchio alle Erbe

For the crab cakes:
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 red onion, minced
1/2 red pepper, minced
1/2 yellow pepper, minced
1 celery stalk, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup brandy
1 pound jumbo lump crab meat, picked over
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon minced tarragon
1 teaspoon minced marjoram
1 teaspoon snipped chives
1 teaspoon minced thyme
1 teaspoon minced Italian parsley
1 teaspoon minced chervil
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup Japanese breadcrumbs

For the sauce:
8 tomatoes, diced into 1-inch pieces
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

To serve:
2 tomatoes, diced into 1/4-inch pieces
1 scallion, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon chopped coriander
1/2 small garlic clove, minced
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Make the crab cakes: Preheat the oven to 450°. Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a inch skillet. Sauté the onion, red and yellow peppers, celery and garlic for 5 minutes over medium heat. Deglaze with the brandy. When it evaporates, about 2 minutes, transfer to a bowl and cool to room temperature. Fold in the crab, mustard, tarragon, marjoram, chives, thyme, parsley, chervil, salt and pepper, and shape into 16 golf ball-sized patties, then flatten into cakes. Dredge the crab cakes in the breadcrumbs, coating all sides well. Heat the remaining olive oil in a 12-inch skillet and fry the crab cakes over medium heat until golden on both sides, turning once. Transfer to an 11-by-17-inch baking sheet and bake for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, make the sauce: Toss the tomatoes with salt and pepper and purée in a blender until smooth. Strain through a fine sieve into a bowl and stir in the olive oil. To serve, toss the tomatoes, scallion, coriander, garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper in a bowl. Mound on 4 plates. Place the crab cakes on top, drizzle with drops of the sauce and serve hot.● Serves 4

Wine Suggestion: Full-bodied, fat and complex white

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