A Bunch of Crabby in my Patty!
Ingredients
1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened
1½ Tbsp sour cream
4 cloves garlic, minced, divided
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
2 Tbsp + ½ cup Frank’s Red Hot, divided
½ lb imitation crab meat
3 green onions, chopped
1 small white onion, thinly sliced
¾ cup flour
1 cup + 1/3 cup Colavita Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3 lbs 85% lean hamburger
1/3 cup Sutter Home Merlot
2 tsp kosher salt
½ tsp fresh ground pepper
3 Tbsp butter or margarine
6 ciabatta rolls, split horizontally
Instructions
In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese and sour cream until smooth. Then add ½ of the minced garlic, cayenne, 2 Tbsp Frank’s Red Hot, crab meat and green onions; mix well and set aside. Next, using 2 shallow dishes, place the white onion and ½ cup Frank’s Red Hot in the first, and the flour in the second. Place a small sauté pan on the side burner of the grill; put 1 cup of the olive oil in the pan and heat the pan to medium high heat. Working in small batches, dredge the onions in the flour, shake off any excess and fry in hot oil until fried crisp (2-3 minutes); remove from oil, place on a plate covered with paper towels and keep warm. Heat grill to high heat. In a large bowl gently combine 2nd half of minced garlic, hamburger, merlot, salt and ground pepper. Divide mixture into 6 (8 oz.) balls, then divide each ball in half, and shape into 12 patties – thinner in the middle than on the sides. Spoon rounded tablespoons of the crab mixture onto the center of 6 patties; spread slightly, and top with remaining patties; press edges together firmly to seal. Once grill reaches 400°, brush grill racks with remaining oil and place patties on grill; cover. Grill 8-10 minutes, turning once, until thermometer inserted into the side of patties reads 160° F (avoid inserting into filling). While patties are grilling, butter the split ciabatta rolls. During the last 1-2 minutes of grilling time, place ciabatta rolls cut side down, on grill for 30-60 seconds. To assemble the burgers, place bottom half of a freshly grilled ciabatta bread onto a plate, top with one crabby in my patty, pile on 1/6 of the crisp fried onions and top half of ciabatta bread. Serve with a knife and fork. Makes 6 burgers.