The Restaurant Weeks menu at The Crab Shanty is truly delightful! For lunch, Head Chef Chris Cherry has created a series of five (yes, 5!) lunch trios. All of them are the same price--$11.99. This is quite a deal given the amount of food provided. In today’s economy, a really good $12 dollar lunch is something of value.
Although it was really difficult to choose among terrific choices, given the restaurant name we opted for the Crab Specialties Trio. It is served on a long rectangular plate with each item separated from the others by a small space that allows the flavors and sauces to remain distinct, but which creates an overall picture that is very pleasing to the eye. The Petite Crab Cake (all lump) is drizzled with a lemon aioli sauce and broiled to perfection. It did not have a bit of shell or cartilage. The Crab Cannelloni is lump crab meat, basil and mozzarella cheese wrapped in pasta and served with a fresh tomato basil coulis made from a puree of vine ripe tomato with basil, white wine, chicken stock, shallot and garlic. The Blue Crab Tostada (recipe below) is a delightful combination of fresh local produce and Maryland lump crab served on a crisp tostada. The Crab Shanty uses a lot of local produce and as much Maryland crab as it can procure. In fact, the delicious and very sweet white corn it uses is grown on the Edrich Farm in Woodstock, where this special variety was developed. Interestingly, at the end of the growing season, The Crab Shanty purchases 30-40 additional bushels of this wonderful corn, shucks it, cooks it, takes it off the husk, then freezes it for use in some of its dishes year-round. But we digress.
The other trios are the Chef’s Collection (Veal Piccata, Dijon Pork Tenderloin and Seared Beef Tenderloin), Soft Crab Sampling (grilled, fried and stuffed with crab imperial), the Mixed Grill (Key Lime Shrimp, Honey-Lime Chicken and Sweet Chili Ribs), and the Fresh Fish (Seared Ahi Tuna, Teriyaki Salmon and Grilled Mahi-Mahi).
The Restaurant Weeks dinner menu is also impressive and a very good value, three courses for only $24.95. We sampled the two dinner salads: Jeanne’s Strawberry Salad (field greens, strawberries, mozzarella and poppy seed vinaigrette dressing) and the Harvest Salad (mixed greens, apple slices, candied pistachios and asiago cheese tossed with a citrus vinaigrette). Both were excellent. Entrees include a honey-lime shrimp and rib combo, the Mahi-Mahi, rainbow trout imperial, a shrimp and scallop duet served in a spring roll basket, and the crab cannelloni. Dessert is your choice of strawberry shortcake, white chocolate banana crème pie and key lime pie.
Owner Eric King and General Manager Cliff Hughes can tell you much about the history of The Crab Shanty and the many items of historical interest that make up the unique décor. If you ask, they even have a handout that describes many of the objects.
Blue Crab Tostada-
Serves 4
1 lb. Jumbo Lump Crab
2 medium Jalapeno pepper(fine diced, seeds removed)
1/4 c. Red onion(fine diced)
1/4 c. Tomato(fine diced)
1/2 c. White corn
1 tsp. Cilantro(chopped)
1/2 tsp. Cumin
2 Tbs.Butter
12 each 2 in.White corn tortilla (fried crisp)
Chipotle Sour Cream
S&P tt
Method: In a medium saucepan, saute onion, corn, pepper,and tomato over
medium high heat until onions are translucent. Add crab, cilantro and
cumin and heat thoroughly. Add remaining butter and swirl to a smooth
finish.
Assembly: Place corn tortilla on plate and spoon 1.5 ounces of mixture on
top, repeat process and then place third tortilla shell on top and drizzle
with chipotle sour cream.
Chipotle Sour Cream- In a food processor blend smooth 1 chipotle pepper
in adobe sauce. Remove to a small bowl and fold in 1 cup sour cream.
The Crab Shanty
3410 Plum Tree Drive
Ellicott City, MD
410-465-9660
www.crabshanty.com
--The Nagles
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