Mountain Views News          Saturday, March 10, 2012

7

GOOD FOOD & DRINK

Mountain Views-News Saturday, March 10, 2012 

 
The Discovery Channel is full of great shows, and I turn to it when I have exhausted my 
usual programming, such as that critically acclaimed, The Chef Knows. One show that has 
increasingly captured my attention is “The Deadliest Catch?” I’m not moving from restaurant 
reviewer to TV Critic mind you, but there is something about the show that just keeps my 
interest. I have no idea who the stars are but it appears to me the treacherous weather is 
one of them. The entire show is dedicated to life threatening pursuit of catching Crabs off 
Alaska and the Russian Border, the Baltic Sea to be exact. The ships are equipped with every 
technical gadget in the business, but like so many things in life, it comes down to instinct 
and in this case it is the captain’s instinct that directs the ship to fortune, failure or even 
death. Unlike the “Bachelor,” here I don’t have to wade through 10 episodes for the count or 
the discard, as nearly every episode they are pulling up Crabs in five minute intervals. Crew 
members battle the crippling Eskimo like conditions and sheer walls of mountainous sea to 
bring up a treasure chest of crabs that is as welcome as gold to the pirates of a distant age. 

The season is brief so each mistake, each lost moment of time is magnified as the crew must 
force themselves through fatigue and lack of sleep to race against the ticking clock. Maybe 
I find a special delight in the show since I love King Crab but it is more, as the show turns 
my stomach in knots as I watch with childlike fear and anticipation as the crew of the boats 
challenge the harshest elements of nature. Here is a sample of the shows description. 

“Relive the dangers, adventures and disasters of the original miniseries. Meet the salty sea 
captains and greenhorns who risk their lives on the job to earn part of a 90 million dollar 
King and Opilio Crab payoff. Set sail and 
learn all about crab fishing.” Yea, that’s the 
whole premise and I can’t get enough of it!!! 
If they are willing to risk their lives for this, I 
feel obligated to support these courageous soldiers and their imprisoned catch? This week 
is dedicated to those crews and their delicious prisoners, so let’s see where we can catch our 
own crab and not lose a life or wallet in the process. 

King Crab Legs can be very expensive, so I suggest checking out Albertson’s. Typically, they 
have a great selection at a very reasonable price. If you are a Costco member they have some 
of the freshest crab and some of the lowest prices anywhere. On sale you can expect to pay 
about ($16.95) per pound. How about Crab Cakes? If done right they can be very tasty, 
but many restaurants do not use the traditional method or lack a quality in their crab cake 
to capture the heightened glory that this dish can achieve. The traditional method is done 
with Dungeness lump crab meat. Some places in our region are: Cameron’s Restaurant, 
McCormick and Schmick’s, and Ruth Chris’. For this crab lover though, the very best Crab 
Cake by far is at The Front Runner Restaurant located at the Santa Anita Race Track in 
Arcadia. There they use real lump crab meat with a light breaded cover. With this dish all 
those thoughts of slow horses disappear in a Heaven filled plate of Crab Cake. What’s your 
favorite place for Crab Cakes? Send me an email to the chefknows@yahoo.com 

Join me every Sunday evening at 8 PM on KABC radio 


KING CRAB

NEW ORLEANS STYLE 
CHICKEN

INGREDIENTS:

1-1/4 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed

3 teaspoons canola oil, divided

2 medium carrots, chopped

1 large onion, chopped

1 medium green pepper, chopped

1 medium sweet red pepper, chopped

2 portobello mushrooms (3 ounces each), chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

2-3/4 cups hot water

1 can (15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained

1 package (8 ounces) red beans and rice mix

1 can (14-1/2 ounces) Hunt’s® Original Diced Tomatoes, drained

1/3 cup shredded Asiago cheese 

DIRECTIONS: 

In a large nonstick skillet, brown chicken in 1 teaspoon oil over medium-high heat until no longer 
pink; remove and set aside. In the same skillet, saute the carrots, onion and peppers in remaining oil 
for 10 minutes. Add mushrooms and garlic; saute 1-2 minutes longer or until vegetables are tender. 

Stir in the water, beans and rice mix. Return chicken to the pan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover 
and simmer for 30-35 minutes or until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender. 

Stir in tomatoes; heat through. Just before serving, sprinkle with cheese. Yield: 6 servings. 

Editor’s Note: This recipe was prepared with Zatarain’s New Orleans-style red beans and rice. 

TABLE FOR TWO by Peter Dills

thechefknows@yahoo.com