Crab and Cream Cheese Poppers
Jalapenos are the most popular chile peppers in the US. This is probably due to the availability and versatility of the chile. Jalapenos have a balanced combination of flavor and heat.
The demand for these have caused breeders to develop a broad range of varieties. You can now get jalapenos with various heat level and sizes. These can be used in salsas, stuffed, or eaten straight with cheeseburgers (my personal favorite).
Ingredients:
4 jalapenos sliced in half lengthwise with all of the insides removed (seeds included)
4 oz (about half a package) of cream cheese
3 oz of crab meat
1 Tablespoon of finely diced green onion (plus more for garnish)
Panko bread crumbs
Non-stick cooking spray
“Eel Sauce”:
1/2 cup of low sodium soy sauce
1/2 cup of mirin (I used dry sherry plus and extra tablespoon of sugar)
1/4 cup of sugar
For “Dynamite Sauce” Recipe:
3 Tablespoons of light mayonaise
3/4 Tablespoon of Sriracha
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Wash each jalapeno and slice in half lengthwise. Remove all the insides from the peppers (especially the seeds). When doing this, you might want to wear gloves or be careful not to touch your face because it stings! In a bowl, mix together the crab meat, cream cheese, and green onions until they are nicely incorporated.
Fill each pepper with the cream cheese mixture until they are nice and full. Place a generous amount of panko bread crumbs into a bowl, and with one pepper at a time, dip them (cream cheese side down) into the bread crumbs so the entire top of each pepper is nicely coated. Place a wire rack on a baking sheet and lay the jalapenos on it. Then lightly spray the top of the bread crumbs with the non-stick cooking spray. Bake for about 40 minutes!
“Eel Sauce” Recipe*
In a pan, combine the soy sauce, mirin, and sugar. Bring the mixture to a light boil so all the sugar is incorporated and entirely dissolved. Then lower the heat to medium-low (letting it simmer), and reduce the sauce until it starts to thicken. Remember, the sauce will thicken even more as it cools so you should stop cooking it right when you see it start to thicken up! If it’s still too runny, then you can heat it up again for a little longer. Then set sauce aside to cool.
Simplified “Dynamite Sauce” Recipe**
Mix together until the two are fully incorporated.
**This is a simplified version of the dynamite sauce served over sushi. Sometimes it’s called orange sauce or volcano sauce. It’s usually made with Japanese mayonaise, Sriracha, and sometimes sesame oil is added as well. This simplified recipe does the trick for me though. For this recipe, I used less Sriracha as to not make the poppers too spicy! The amount of spice is up to you though–add less if you just want to taste the coolness from the creamy mayonaise or add more if you want a nice kick!
Take the two sauce, drizzle over the jalapeno poppers, sprinkle with freshly chopped green onions, and enjoy!
From lifetasteslikefood.wordpress.com