Make this, party people

Snow crab banh mi

Hello dear readers, and welcome to today’s Stories from Catbird Cottage! Spring is very much in the air, enchanting (but also concerning ) so early into the season. To experience this warm, sunny weather makes my bones and skin feel good. The cottage gardens are showing life everywhere, which includes the anticipated return of oodles of plant friends. I get overjoyed at the thought, especially that last fall I made new investments in plants ranging from this, to this, to this, and come spring, it’ll be their first debut. But to reach 72º in March feels like an another omen of new “normals” that have been wreaking havoc across the globe. Something to look at with clear eyes and prepare for ways to be further adaptable (if it’s even possible!), as we welcome this most electric season.

This post is for those of you with a spark in your eye. It’s a nod towards the simple, enlivened eating that comes with warmer days. Days which many of us no doubt cannot wait to arrive soon enough. Enter the snow crab banh mi - not entirely authentic, but 1000% delicious, and a festival of colors and flavors to immediately transport you.

Crab banh mi rolls

umami mayo 
1/4 cup veganaise, or your favorite mayonnaise 
1 tsp whole grain mustard 
1/2 tsp fish sauce

Stir mayo ingredients together until uniform. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Place mayo in the refrigerator until it’s time to use. This can be done a day in advance, stored sealed and brought out when it’s time.

radish slaw
1 small watermelon radish, thinly sliced on a mandoline
1/2 small red jalapeño or Fresno chili, thinly sliced 
1 tsp evoo
1/2 tsp ume plum vinegar (you may swap for white wine or sherry vinegar if you cannot find ume plum vinegar)
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp water

Whisk the olive oil, plum vinegar, water, and black pepper together until emulsified. Drizzle it onto the radish-chili pepper mixture and toss to coat. Add 2 tbsp coarsely chopped cilantro leaves, 2 tbsp torn mint leaves, and 1 tsp chopped chives. Set aside. 

sandwich assembly
4 small gem lettuce leaves 
3.5 oz snow crab meat, picked through for shells
2 brioche buns

Toast the brioche buns until golden. Slather umami mayo onto each half, then arrange a lettuce leaf onto each. Arrange a cluster of the radish slaw and then pile crab meat onto the bottom half of each bun. Sandwich the top half onto the bottom, and get ready for a groan-inducing treat.

It is remarkable how easy it can be to eat well, provided an array of pantry basics and a few choice ingredients. This snow crab was delivered to me by the fabulous fisherman duo Drifters Fish, who sustainably catch a variety of wild salmon - and now this Snow crab, aka Tanner crab - as part of their offerings. Feast!

On the to-do list this weekend? Sowing seeds, from basil and tomatoes, to arugula, snap beans, and much more. With the early warm temps I put peas into the ground yesterday, one of my favorite vegetables. There is so much to love between snow peas, snap peas, and shelling peas. These sweet crunchy gems add all kinds of delight for the menus I curate at Catbird Cottage, or, just eating straight from the vine.

Speaking of which, I am refining the pop-up dinner calendar for the year. Stay tuned for updates and the ticket release! Let’s pray for a floriferous (and not too wet) season - I am so looking forward to lifting a glass with you, and seeing your smiling faces again!!

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