Executive Chef Blake Malatesta, of 50 Ocean (50 S. Ocean Blvd., Delray Beach, 561/278-3364) competed with the best Palm Beach County chefs around and emerged the winner of the 2015 Maestro del Mar Chef Competition. The final competition on Oct. 23 included a secret ingredient given to the chefs in the cookoff: stone crabs. This is Chef Malatesta’s winning recipe for you to try at home.
STONE CRAB TOASTADAS
1 pound stone crab claws (shells cracked and meat picked clean)
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons key lime honey
3 tablespoons finely chopped red onion
1 jalapeño, stemmed and finely chopped
¼ cup fresh shucked corn
2 tablespoons small diced cucumber
2 tablespoons small diced Florida sweet peppers
1 avocado, pitted and small diced
Juice and zest of 1 each: lime, lemon, orange
Salt and black pepper to taste
8 flat tostada shells, packaged or homemade, baked or fried until crispy
Garnishes:
2 tablespoons of chopped peanuts (tossed in olive oil, salt, sugar and pepper, then toasted)
2 ounces roasted garlic lime aioli (2 ounces mayo, 2 egg yolks, 2 teaspoons roasted garlic, 1 lime juice and zest, whisk all ingredients untill incorporated) set aside for serving
Preparation
1. Prepare the Crabmeat: Put the crabmeat in a bowl. Pick through it with your fingers to remove any cartilage, and shell.
2. Combine the Ingredients: Add the oil, honey, onion, jalapeño, corn, cucumber, peppers, avocado and citrus zest and juice to the crabmeat. Using a rubber spatula or spoon, gently fold (or toss) all ingredients until well blended. Season well with salt and pepper.
3. Assemble and Serve: Top each tostada shell with a few spoonfuls of crab mixture. Gnd garnish with toasted chopped peanuts and a dollop of garlic aioli.
About the Author
Lynn Kalber wasn’t born in Boca Raton, but she attended elementary through high school there, so she might as well have been. She’s a graduate of the University of Florida and has been in journalism most of her life, including 26 years at The Palm Beach Post. She’s written feature and food stories, and edited food copy among other jobs, including blogging about wine (The Swirl Girls). Her husband is writer and author Scott Eyman. They live in West Palm Beach with an assortment of cats and dogs.
