My love language is gifts, and I’m huge on thanking people – for a job well done, for a generous favor, for opening their home.
Meals are my favorite gift – not just because I love to cook, but because I love to see people enjoy something that only exists in the moment. This meal was a thank you for hosting, made alongside my best friend, with wine and wonderful company.
Dinner was a relatively quiet affair, punctuated by good stories, laughter and murmurs of “This is SO GOOD.”
You’ll need:
Quesadillas:
- 8 tortillas (we used medium-sized flour, these would be great with corn, too)
- 3 pounds crab, picked over for shells (or cracked yourself)
- Your favorite taco seasoning (I used a mix of chili powder, cumin, garlic, salt, paprika, lime and oregano)
- 4 T butter
- 2-4 cups queso (depending on how much you love cheese).
Slaw:
- 1/4 head of red cabbage
- 2 bell peppers (red, orange or yellow)
- 1/2 a fresh pineapple
- 1 mango
- 1/2 a red onion
- 1 bunch cilantro
- Juice and zest of 2 limes
- 1/4 c orange juice
- 1/4 c olive oil
- 2 T blackberry jam
- 1 T chili powder
- 1 t salt
Get cooking:
Quesadillas:
- Heat a medium sauté pan over edo high heat. (We used cast iron.)
- Sauté the crab with a bit of butter and your seasoning mix. (You could also just stir the crab and mix together – I just like the flavor development the heat brings.)
- Butter the tortillas on the outside (you could also just spray the pan with Pam, if you wanted to cut the calories).
- Add a bit of cheese to the inside of one tortilla, spread with crab, then top with cheese. (This helps the tortilla stick to both sides.)
- Fry for 3 minutes on either side.
- Keep warm in the oven until all the quesadillas are done.
- Serve with slaw and quacamole.
Slaw:
- Shred or dice fist six ingredients – add to a large bowl.
- Whisk last 6 ingredients together, toss with the slaw.
- Serve immediately, or chill until ready for use.