Crabby Patty al Pastor

Crab Cake, Hearth-Blistered California Grapes, Pickled California Grapes, Arugula, Potato Roll

Chef Bobby Matos of La Lucha | Houston

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Adapted by StarChefs | September 2022

INGREDIENTS:

Pickled Grapes:
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
4 bay leaves
1 tablespoon fennel seeds
1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
½ cup honey
4 cups apple cider vinegar
2 pounds red Grapes from California

Grapes Al Pastor:
4 pounds red Grapes from California, de-stemmed then charred on a grill
1 white onion, halved then charred on a grill
10 guajillo chiles, toasted
10 cloves garlic
¼ cup dried oregano
White vinegar
Salt
Black pepper

Hearth-Blistered Grapes:
4 pounds red Grapes from California
Extra virgin olive oil

Crab Cakes:
Neutral oil
1 onion, minced
1 bell pepper, minced
1 pound lump crab
10 red Grapes from California, julienned
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup panko breadcrumbs
½ cup parmesan
Old Bay seasoning

To Assemble and Serve:
Butter
Sliced slider potato roll
Arugula

METHOD:

For the Pickled Grapes:
In a small pot over medium heat, combine peppercorns, bay leaves, fennel seeds, and pepper flakes. Toast until fragrant. Add honey and bring to a boil. Add vinegar and return to a boil. Place California grapes in a nonreactive container. Pour the hot brine over the grapes. Let sit 24 hours.

For the Grapes Al Pastor:
In a blender, combine California grapes, onion, chiles, garlic, and oregano. Purée until smooth. Season with vinegar, salt, and pepper. Reserve.

For the Hearth-Blistered Grapes:
Prepare and heat a grill. In a mixing bowl, toss California grapes with olive oil. Transfer grapes to a perforated pan or heat-proof strainer and place over the grill. Grill grapes until blistered. Remove from heat and let cool. Reserve.

For the Crab Cakes:
In a pan over medium flame, heat oil. Add onion and pepper and sweat until soft. Transfer to a mixing bowl and stir in crab, California grapes, and mayonnaise. In a separate container, mix to combine panko and parmesan. Gradually add the panko mixture to the crab mixture until desired consistency is reached. Season with Old Bay. Shape into 3-ounce patties. Refrigerate.

To Assemble and Serve:
In a pan over medium flame, melt butter. Add Crab Cakes and sear until golden brown on both sides and cooked through. In the same pan, add slider rolls and toast until golden brown. Meanwhile, thinly slice a couple Pickled Grapes. For each slider, add a small amount of Grape Al Pastor to both sides of the bun. On the bottom half, add 1 Crab Cake, followed by arugula, Hearth-blistered Grapes, and sliced Pickled Grapes. Close the sandwich.

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