Surf and Turf Burger (Grilled Beef Burger Topped with a Carolina Crab Cake & Meyer Lemon & Dijon Dressed slaw)

My inspiration for this burger was my love for a perfectly grilled burger and a freshly made Carolina crab cake. So I combined the two to form an even better burger.

Ingredients:

Crab cake
4 1/2 tablespoons sweet cream salted butter
1 large sweet yellow onion diced
1 small red bell pepper, seeded and diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
2 teaspoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon old bay seasoning
1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/3 cup heavy cream
1 pound fresh lump crabmeat, drained & picked over for shells
1 1/2 cups Panko bread crumbs
2 eggs

Slaw
1/3 cup fresh squeezed Meyer lemon juice
1/2 cup Colavita Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/2 tablespoon light brown sugar
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1 cup shredded red cabbage
1 cup shredded green cabbage
1/2 cup julienne carrot
1/2 cup chopped flat leaf parsley
1/2 cup chopped green onion

Patties:
2 1/4 pounds freshly ground beef chuck
2 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon Colavita Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon old bay spice

6 good quality Kaiser rolls, split

Instructions:

Prepare a medium-hot fire in a charcoal grill with a cover, or preheat a gas grill to medium-high

To make the crab cakes melt 1 1/2 tablespoons butter in a 10 inch fireproof skillet placed on the grill. Add the onion and bell pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are softened and golden in color, about 5-7 minutes. Add garlic, cilantro, brown sugar, old bay seasoning, white pepper, black pepper and crushed red pepper. Cook for 1 minute stirring constantly. Add cream, crab meat and 3/4 cups panko bread crumbs. Remove from heat and transfer mixture to a large mixing bowl. Allow mixture to come to room temperature. In a separate bowl, beat the two eggs and stir them into the cooled mixture.
Take a quarter cup crab mixture at a time and form it into a ball then flatten into a patty. Coat well with panko break crumbs.
Melt 1 1/2 tablespoons butter in a large fireproof skillet placed on the grill, Add three to four of the crab cakes and cook for 3 to 4 minutes on each side or until crab cakes are golden brown. Transfer crab cakes to a plate. Melt the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons butter in the skillet and cook the remaining crab cakes as you did the first batch. Wrap cooked crab cakes in foil and keep warm until ready to assemble burgers

To make slaw, whisk the lemon juice, olive oil, mustard, brown sugar and salt together in a small bowl. Combine cabbage, carrots, parsley and onions together in large bowl. Fifteen to twenty minutes prior to serving toss with the dressing to coat . Cover with plastic wrap and set aside until ready to assemble burgers.

To make the patties, place ground chuck into a large bowl, sprinkle half the salt onto the chuck and gently mix with a chilled metal spoon to get salt evenly distributed. Shape the meat into 6 equal size round patties. Brush olive oil over entire surface of patties. Sprinkle with the remaining salt, black pepper and old bay seasoning, making sure to coat on all sides. Keep meat very cold and handle as little as possible to prevent burger from becoming dense and dry.
When the grill is ready, using a paper towel, rub the grill rack with vegetable oil, this will prevent sticking. Place patties on the center of the grill, cover and cook for 3 to 5 minutes on each side, for medium rare to medium burgers. During the last two minutes of cooking place the rolls cut sides down on the outer edges of the grill rack so they can toast lightly

To assemble the burgers, place a patty on each bun bottom and top with a crab cake and a generous portion of slaw Add the bun tops and serve

Makes 6 burgers