Crab Cake Sliders and Sauvignon Blanc

 My goal this year has been to spend more time in the kitchen learning to cook. Easier said than done unfortunately...However, on my days off from work I can take my time to create a meal outside my comfort zone. A few weeks ago I did just that cooking a crab cake slider with spicy mayo recipe. 

As I mentioned before I am a novice in the kitchen, so if I think this is easy to make than anyone can do it! Plus, the cakes and the mayo sauce can be made a day ahead for those with busy schedules. Below are the ingredients and the directions for putting everything together.

Ingredients:

Crab Cakes:

1 pound crab meat (I used Handy Jumbo Lump Crab Meat from Wegmans)
1/2 red bell pepper, small diced
5 scallions, finely sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 lemon, juiced
1/2 cup finely crushed crackers or panko breadcrumbs
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 large egg
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon dry ground mustard
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon salt
Dash cayenne pepper

For Cooking & Serving:

Olive oil
15 slider buns or halved dinner rolls
1/2 cup spinach, arugula or sprouts for topping

Spicy Mayo:

1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 1/2 Tbsp. lemon juice (from about 1/4 lemon)
1 1/2 Tbsp. chili sauce, such as Sriracha
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/8 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Prepare a large baking sheet lined with foil or parchment paper. In a large bowl, combine all crab cake ingredients. Mix ingredients with your hands. Shape into 15 small patties and place on the baking sheet. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to cook. I suggest giving the patties at least 20 minutes in the refrigerator to mold making the cooking process easier. 
For the spicy mayo sauce,  combine all ingredients in a small bowl and stir to blend. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

When ready to cook crab cakes, drizzle about 1 1/2 Tbsp. olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When oil is hot, carefully place crab cakes, in batches, in pan and fry until browned, 4-5 minutes per side. Carefully flip crab cakes and fry on other side until golden brown, another 4 minutes.

Place sliders onto buns. Top with mayo and greens, and serve. 

Last but certainly not least, uncork your wine selection to enjoy with your seafood masterpiece. When choosing what wine will pair well with seafood, always consider the weight and substance. Since the sliders have a spicy mayo sauce, you can consider a wine with some sweetness, like an off-dry Alsatian Gewürztraminer or Riesling. The residual sugar in each gives it the ability to balance out the heat in the spicy mayo. 

My wine choice for the evening was St. Suprey's Dollarhide Sauvignon Blanc. I tend to gravitate towards Sauvignon Blanc because it is versatile enough to go with almost anything. I chose St. Suprey Dollarhide because of its complexity of crisp, bright grapefruit notes combined with creamy texture. To add this creamy depth, the remaining 19% (majority of grapes were fermented in stainless steel) was fermented in new French oak barrels and aged for 7 months. Everyone at the table enjoyed the wine's intensity of flavor and elegant finish . 

Dollarhide is St. Suprey's single vineyard, so it is not considered an everyday wine. If you're looking for a special occasion wine for this dish, then I highly recommend spending the extra money. For an alternative, I suggest a a California Fume Blanc...like this one.  

What wines have you paired with seafood this summer? Have a wonderful day!