BACCHANALIA’S BLUE CRAB FRITTER WITH AVOCADO, CITRUS AND HOT PEPPER ESSENCE

½ lb. fresh jumbo lump blue crab meat (purchase steamed, not boiled crab meat), carefully picked of shells but with large lumps still intact.

¼ cup mayonnaise (Recipe follows) or use your

favorite

1 dash Tabasco

Salt to taste

Panko (Japanese bread crumbs), for breading Peanut oil, for frying

1 ripe but firm avocado, peeled and sliced Assorted citrus (such as orange, grapefruit, lime,

honey tangerine and/or blood orange), supremed Hot Pepper Essence (Recipe follows)

Vanilla oil (Recipe follows)

Fresh coriander, for garnish

Combine the crab with the mayonnaise, tabasco and salt to taste. Gently form into six balls, being careful not to compress. Fill a shallow bowl with Panko and roll the balls in the Panko, until well coated. Fill a wide-rimmed pan or cast-iron skillet with enough peanut oil to cover the sides by 1 to 2 inches. Heat the oil to between 325 and 350 degrees. Add the fritters and fry until golden brown. Remove and let drain on a paper-towel lined plate.

Serve fritters hot in bowls with avocado slices, citrus supremes and hot pepper essence. Finish with a drizzle of vanilla oil and garnish with fresh coriander. Yields 6 crab fritters

Per fritter: 373 calories (percent of calories from fat, 39), 8 grams protein, 7 grams carbohydrates, 2 grams fiber, 36 grams fat (6 grams saturated), 34 milligrams cholesterol, 363 milligrams sodium.