Gluten Free Crab Cakes and Rainbow Salad

Gluten Free Crab Cakes and Rainbow Salad
Adapted from "Hive Five" Crab Cakes: Mom Cooks Gluten Free

Crab Cakes
8 oz. of lump or claw crab meat - only use fresh crab as imitation may contain wheat - We got ours at Quality Seafood and got 5% off with our Go Local card - pick apart crab meat to make sure there aren't any crunchy parts
1/3 cup gluten-free brown rice bread crumbs or crumble day old or toasted gluten-free bread
1 local egg, slightly beaten - I recommend Vital Farms (available at Wheatsville or Whole Foods or Milagro Farms at Wednesday and Saturday's Austin Farmers' Market)
3 green onions or one small sweet 1015 onion from Milagro Farms, chopped finely - We used a 1015 from our own garden
parsley - we used some from our own garden
2 tsp of Old Bay seasoning 
1/4 cup of Almondaise (local product and available near the dairy section at Wheatsville)
1/4 cup of a mixture of gluten-free sorghum and millet flour - millet flour is available from Richardson Farms at Austin Farmers' Market on Wednesdays and Saturdays
1/4 cup grapeseed or canola oil
Salt and pepper 
Lemon for squeezing on crab cakes

Rainbow Salad

1-2 small beets (we love the golden and candy striped or chioggia varieties), peeled and julienned - We got ours from our CSA box from Johnson's Backyard Garden
3-4 small carrots, sliced in fourths, rounds or shredded - Johnson's Backyard Garden
2-3 radishes, sliced thinly or julienned - Johnson's Backyard Garden
1/2 small head of broccoli, florets only, Johnson's Backyard Garden
parsley, chives and oregano-our garden
mixed leaf lettuce, rinsed clean

1. In a bowl make a quick pickling liquid/dressing - one part Texas Olive Ranch Olive Oil AND 3 parts champagne vinegar or Orange and White Vinegar from Texas Olive Ranch. Add the vegetables, the chopped herbs and set the lettuce aside or in the fridge to keep crisp. Leave the veggies in the liquid while you make the crab cakes.

2. To make the crab cakes, grab a large bowl and mix the breadcrumbs, Old Bay, chopped parsley, green onions or 1015s and crab meat.

3. With a rubber spatula, mix the Almondaise, salt and pepper and slightly beaten egg.

4. Using an ice cream scooper or spoon, portion the mixture into patties or balls. Cover and put in the fridge for 20-30 minutes until they stay together somewhat - they will need to be chilled to stay together

5. Put the gluten-free flour mixture in a shallow bowl and lightly coat both sides of the crab cake or ball. Set on a plate covered in parchment paper and use a non-stick or stainless steel spatula to set them in the oil.

6. Heat oil so that it just covers the bottom of a cast iron skillet. Test to see if the oil is hot enough by dropping a small amount of flour on top of the oil to see if bubbles form around it. If so, the oil is hot.

7. Cook each cake or crab ball until it is golden brown on each side, careful not to burn. Keep the heat on medium.

8. Plate by adding mixed lettuce to the bottom of a shallow bowl, place pickled veggies on top (leave extra liquid for making dressing for salad later). Drizzle olive oil on top of lettuce and veggies. Place crab cakes on top and garnish with any remaining herbs. Serve with lemon wedges.