Today's recipe "Dungeness Crab Cakes with Tomatillo Avocado Sauce and Roasted Corn Salad"  combines the elegance of Dungeness crab with a festive corn salad.  As summer heats up these refreshing crab cakes and cool salad make a great light summer dinner.  Serve with Casa Nuestra Rosado to make a complete meal.

Dungeness Crab Cakes with Tomatillo Avocado Sauce and Roasted Corn Salad

By Chef Bernardo Ayala, Silverado Brewing Company

Crab Cakes

• 1 pound Dungeness Crab Meat
• ½ cup mayonnaise
• ¾ cup panko bread crumbs
• ½ tsp Tabasco sauce
• ½ tsp Worcestershire sauce
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 tsp dry mustard
• 1 tsp fresh Italian parsley, chopped
• 2 oz celery, minced
• 2 oz scallions, minced
• 4 oz red bell peppers, minced
  

1. Combine all ingredients except the mayonnaise, and the bread crumbs, mix well.

2. Add mayonnaise and bread crumbs. Mix well. Mixture should easily hold its shape when formed into balls. Adjust with Mayonnaise and bread crumbs as needed.
3. Form into 2 oz balls.

4. Bread the balls by first rolling into flour, then egg wash, then into panko bread crumbs and form into crab cakes. Place in into a container with sheets of wax paper and light bread crumbs between layers.

5. cover with plastic wrap.

Tomatillo Avocado Sauce

• 1 avocado
• 4 tomatillos
• ½ bunch of cilantro
• ½ cup of water
• Salt and Pepper to taste
  

Puree all ingredients in a blender. Slowly add the water last, to achieve a thick constancy. Salt and pepper to taste.

Roasted Corn Salsa

• 3 white corns
• ½ red onion, chopped fine
• ¼ bunch of cilantro
• 1 tbs Mcevoy Ranch Olive oil
• 2 tbs lime juice
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Small handful of Organic Field Greens
• 2 oz red pepper, diced

Pan roast the white corn and let it cool. Mix all ingredients (except the field greens) together.

Assembly:  Pan sear the cakes on medium heat with olive oil for about 2 minutes on each side, or golden brown. Serve the two cakes on a bed of the tomatillo Sauce. Then serve a bouquet of field greens with the roasted corn salsa on top. Garnish with fresh cilantro.

About Casa Nuestra 2006 Dry Rosado (St. Helena Estate)

The Casa Nuestra Rosado is blended from mostly Merlot with some Cabernet Franc.  The juice was pulled from the skins shortly after de-stemming and before fermentation.  It was then fermented  to dryness in stainless steel.  The wine offers abundant strawberries and bright plum flavors with a smooth mouth-feel and a clean finish. In addition to the above recipe, this wine can be served chilled with grilled salmon, BBQ ribs or a crisp green salad.

About Casa Nuestra Winery

Casa Nuestra, which means "our house" was established in the Napa Valley in 1979 and continues to produce only about 2000 cases annually from the estate's vineyards located in both St. Helena and Oakville. The Casa staff of six proudly produce rare wines of special interest that represent an old-world, traditional wine list not affected by current marketing trends.