Cajun Crab Cakes

I am a big, big fan of the crabcake. A great crabcake should be crispy on the outside and filled with sweet, tender crabmeat and very little else. When I was pregnant, I had to watch the amount of seafood I ate. I could have little more than a few bites of crabcake (which is nearly impossible!). The minute I was able, I made a huge batch of these crabcakes and devoured them. Served with a remoulade (search the sidebar for my garlicky remoulade recipe) and a cold beer, these crabcakes will make you feel like you're sitting in a cafe in the French Quarter.
Ingredients:
1 lb. crab meat (I prefer blue crab)
1 egg yolk
1 tsp. dijon mustard
black pepper
1 tbsp. melted butter
1 green onion, finely diced
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp. mayonnaise
1 tsp. worchestershire sauce
1 tsp. Old Bay seasoning
1/4 cup white breadcrumbs (toast white bread then use a Cuisinart to make crumbs)
2 tbsp. vegetable oil

Assembly:
Use a fork to mix all ingredients except for the vegetable oil and form patties (I usually get about 6-8 good sized cakes from this amount of crab mixture). Be sure not to overmix; you want to have large chunks of crab in each cake. Refrigerate the cakes for at least 30 minutes (this helps them stay together when you're frying them). Heat a nonstick pan and the vegetable oil. Fry the cakes for 3-4 minutes per side or until golden brown. Make sure you don't move them around in the pan; doing so will cause them to break apart, and you will lose that golden, crispy crust. Remove the cakes onto a plate lined with a paper towel. Allow excess oil to drain and serve crabcakes warm with my garlicky remoulade (search the sidebar for my recipe).

Simply Grilled Lemon-Garlic Shrimp

Shrimp is wonderful, not to mention easily prepared, on the grill. A simple, quick marinade adds bright lemon and garlic flavor to fresh shrimp. Grilling them on skewers or loose on an indoor grill pan imparts an incredible flavor that just screams summertime. This recipe is great with a steak or as a main course and can even be tossed with spaghetti or angel hair for an easy summer pasta.

Ingredients (serves 2 as an accompaniment):
1/2 lb. shrimp (I prefer 15/20 or 21/25 count)
Juice of 1/2 large lemon
2 large cloves of minced garlic
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
salt
pepper

Assembly:
Combine marinade ingredients. Marinate in the refrigerator for 15-20 minutes (do not overmarinate; you will end up with tough shrimp). Pat shrimp dry and grill 3-4 minutes per side over medium heat until shrimp curl and turn pink.