Crab Tostados Made Healthy!

Mexican cuisine is one of my favorites. Whenever I have a chance, I will gladly whip up tacos or tostados, something which is not only fun and easy to do, but also satisfyingly delicious. Recently, I discovered a half jar of lump crab meat in the refrigerator, leftover from another preparation. Tostados tonight, I thought and then, why not try to create something a little different: a “healthy” crab tostado? This meant not using refried beans. Next, instead of frying the shells in oil, I sprayed the skillet with a thin coating of olive oil and opted for whole wheat shells instead of corn. Finally, I made a simplified version of Crema Mexicana by substituting low fat Greek yoghurt and lime juice instead of buttermilk and heavy cream.  

Then, as I couldn’t find authentic sour oranges to make the pickled onions—my favorite topping for just about any Mexican dish—I approximated the taste with other citrus fruits.  While pickling takes at least an hour, it’s worth the wait and can be done a day ahead and kept in the refrigerator. Same thing goes for the roasted Poblano peppers.  If you do these two preps in advance, then making the tostados takes no time at all to assemble.

For the garnishes: (Pickled onions and Crema Mexicana)

1 red onion, thinly sliced

2 sour oranges (or as substitute, 1 tsp finely grated grapefruit rind, 2 Tablespoons grapefruit juice, 2 Tablespoons fresh orange juice and 4 Tablespoons lemon juice)

1/3 cup low fat Greek yoghurt

1 Tablespoon fresh lime juice

For the crab filling:

1 Tablespoon butter

1/2 cup Vidalia onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1 large poblano chile, fire roasted, peeled, seeded, deveined, and diced

1 cup (8 ounces) fresh lump crab meat, picked over for bits of shell

½ teaspoon Ancho Chile powder

Fresh lime juice, to taste

Salt to taste

For the assembly:

4 tortillas, whole wheat (or corn)

Olive oil spray

1 cup of lettuce leaves, torn into small pieces

1 avocado, peeled, pitted, and sliced in thin slices

Cooking instructions: 

Prepare the garnishes: Prepare both garnishes before making the filling and set aside. If doing the day before, cover and refrigerate.

1.       Put sliced onions in a bowl with the citrus juices, mix, and allow to soak for at least one hour.

2.       In a small bowl, mix the yoghurt with lime juice and set aside at room temperature.

Prepare the filling:

1.       Melt the butter in a skillet over moderate heat.  Add onions and sauté for 5 minutes until translucent.  Add garlic and cook another 30 seconds. Add diced Poblano Chile.

2.       Reduce heat and add the crab and Ancho Chile (Add more to taste). Gently stir and heat through, about 3 minutes. 

3.       Add lime juice and mix thoroughly.

4.       Season with salt.

Assemble the tostado:

1.       Spray a medium size skillet with olive oil and heat to a medium temperature. Add one tostado shell at a time and heat on both sides for one minute.  Place on a baking sheet in an oven at 300⁰ F to keep warm while you heat other shells.

2.       Put one shell on each plate, layer with ¼ cup of lettuce leaves (I used radicchio) and then spoon on ¼ of the crab mixture.

3.       Add garnishes, starting with avocado strips, then pickled onions and finally crema.

Makes: 4 Tostados

Wine recommendations:  Try a Mexican white wine, beer, or even a citrusy Margarita. A Sauvignon Blanc or Rosé from France works well, too.