Brazilian Open-Face Crab Sandwich

In May, I was invited by the editor of Louisiana Cookin’ Magazine to photograph a recipe contest at the Louisiana Culinary Institute (LCI) for what the magazine had dubbed the “Seafood Fitness Challenge” of 2012.  Recipes were entered by various readers and were broken down into 6 categories of the best-tasting healthy recipes–Alligator, Crawfish, Crab, Oyster, Shrimp, and Finfish. Although I will forever be impressed by the fact that I live in a state that values “alligator” as a seafood category, the results of the contest were pretty amazing and the alligator dishes presented were undoubtedly impressive.

Sadly, I was so caught up in taking the 550+ photos of the day that I never had a chance to test any of these recipes during their development, but I made sure to take mental note of the fascinating descriptions made by LCI students and the flavors valued best by the review board.

Here’s a little pictoral review of my day with Louisiana Cookin’ Magazine and the training chefs at Louisiana’s Culinary Institute.  See below for the winning recipe of the 6 categories, the Brazilian Open-Face Crab Sandwich.

LCI student developing recipe for a soup with shrimp and petit corn.

 LCI student explaining what makes his dish healthy and simultaneously rich at the seafood challenge.  Using my favorite seafood ingredient–ahi tuna–this student showed how broiling was/is a beautiful way to prepare a meaty fish.

Cookbook author Holly Clegg[1] tasting a variety of dishes as part of the Louisiana Cookin’ recipe committee.

In-class LCI students watch as their peers participate (before quickly devouring the dishes they made).

A shot of shucked oysters from the LCI kitchen before being prepared for the committee.

A student making notes on her fish recipes before popping the dish in the oven.

A student developing gator “ribs”  chats with her supervising chef before putting the dish on the grill.

Brazilian Open-Face Crab Sandwich

This recipe is reprinted from Naylet LaRochelle of Miami, Florida, and is the winning recipe for the Seafood Fitness Challenge with Louisiana Cookin’ Magazine.  For the other winning recipes, see here[2].

Ingredients:

*1/2 cup low-fat green yogurt (plain)

*2 tablespoons low-fat mayonnaise

*1 teaspoon orange zest, grated</p>

*1 tablespoon orange juice

*1/2 teaspoon lemon zest, grated

*1 lb. Louisiana jumbo lump crabmeat, picked over for leftover shells

*1 cup fire-rosted red peppers, chopped

*2 tablespoons capers

*1/3 cup red onion, diced

*2 teaspoons paprika (smoked)

*1/2 teaspoon coarse salt

*1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

*3 tablespoons cilantro, chopped fine

*4 (1 1/2-inches thick) French bread or crusty whole wheat bread

*1 tablespoon good quality extra virgin olive oil

*1 1/2 cups watercress

To Garnish:
*Louisiana-style hot pepper sauce, if desired

*lemon wedges, if desired

1.) In a mixing bowl, add yogurt, mayo, orange zest, orange juice, and lemon zest.  Mix to combine.  Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

2.) Preheat oven to Broil setting.  In a mixing bowl, add crabmeat, red peppers, capers, red onion, paprika, salt, pepper, and cilantro.  Mix to combine.  Brush sides of French bread with olive oil and toast in broiler at lest 1 minute on each side.

3.) When ready to serve, top each piece with yogurt mixture, then crab mixture, then watercress slices.  Drizzle dish with hot sauce (if desired) and serve with lemon wedges.

Enjoy! Makes 4 servings.

–Helana Brigman[3]

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