Silver Lined Crabby Snacks

The movie:

 The dish:

The reason:

Pat Solitano (Bradley Cooper) has not had a good year. What with the time in an institution, restraining order, balancing medication and managing the disappointments that come at 4 am when you finally reach the climax of ‘A Farewell to Arms’. But that’s ok. Because come Sunday, there’s a game on and his mum Dolores will be making crabby snacks and home mades. Between the spiky crust of an English muffin and a soft interior of oozing cheese and crab there are already some obvious parallels to be drawn between this snack and  Pat and his left-of-centre leading lady Tiffany’s courtship.  Yet what this canape really needs to sparkle is salt and extra sheen. Enter, the oysters. Muddle a few fresh bivalves through the crab mix with some cream cheese and then use the English muffins to bread and crumb them, crafting a protective crust that will allow their sensitive centres to withstand being plunged in boiling oil.

A few of these may not ensure an Eagles win come Sunday, but they may help you be your best self. And if  one of your guests needs a little extra silver lining in their life or some encouragement to see the world as their oyster, feel free to serve them out of shining shells. Otherwise on a tray in front of a game should be just fine.

The way:

Silver Lined Crabby Snacks

Makes 24

Equipment

Deep fryer, or pan for shallow frying and thermometer. Paper towel. Oyster shells to serve.

Ingredients

Mayonnaise and additional cayenne to serve.

Method

1) Preheat the oven to 150 C/300 F. Split the muffins in half and toast for 15 minutes, until fawn and crisp. Use a food processor to blend into breadcrumbs and set aside.

2) Take the three oysters and blend them together with the cream cheese.  Add the cayenne pepper (start with 1 tsp and go from there), lemon zest and fold through the crab meat.

3) Make date sized balls out of the crab mixture and place in the fridge to set for 15 minutes. Set up a production line of flour in one bowl, beaten egg in the next and breadcrumbs in the third.

4) Place enough oil to shallow fry in a high sided fry pan or wok and heat to 190 C/ 375 F .

5) Fry until golden brown, then drain on paper towel.

6) Serve with a dab of mayonnaise and a little extra cayenne, if you want things to taste a little more assertive.

 Reviews

Nb, for some excellent reviews of Silver Linings Playbook, my go tos are here and here.

Originally published on Tori's blog here