Running with the Devil......

.....yes, I love Van Halen, but this post really has nothing to do with him....or that song.  This is actually the finale to the "belated" birthday dinners.  The request?  Deviled Crab!  I have to admit that the stuff I've seen in the little foil fake crab looking tins has never peaked my interest.  Sure, I've eaten them, but I just don't remember eating them.....and usually that's a reason that I don't normally cook something.

Soooo, when he asked for Deviled Crab, I asked why.  He didn't have an answer....it was just the first thing that came to his mind.  So, since I was the one who forgot his birthday, I went along with it.  I searched the internet and every cookbook I had for recipes.....it's just that they all seemed to be variations of regular crab cakes, but with bell pepper.

I have always loved bell peppers, but why eat the green ones, when you can have the beautifully ripe red ones....so that's what I decided to go with.  And since I already had some roasted red peppers in the fridge.....done!

I got all of my ingredients together....diced onions, celery, garlic and the most beautiful crab I've seen in a while.  It was unbelievably fresh for this time of year.

I started by sauteeing the onions and celery in a half olive oil and half butter, later adding the garlic so it wouldn't cook too much and become bitter.  Then I added the peppers.  I set them aside to cool.

Meanwhile, I combined mayonnaise and Dijon mustard, mixed well and poured that over the crab.  Then I took two slices of fresh bread and ground it in my mini processor, then added all but about 4 tablespoons of it to the bowl.

Next add the celery, onions and pepper (called a Holy Trinity....at least it is with green peppers) and mix well.  I put the mixture into my single serving baking dishes.

I then melted about a tablespoon of butter in the pan I'd cooked the trinity mixture in and added the breadcrumbs....then put them over the crab mixture.

I baked them at 350 degrees until the tob was golden brown and they were cooked through.  We grilled asparagus that had been tossed in olive oil, salt and pepper and grilled.

It was a delicious dinner and he enjoyed it.  So when I asked what he thought?  "It tastes kinda like crabcakes!"  I agree!  But it was good!

Bon Appetit!