I don’t do many appetizer dishes. It goes back to my upbringing. In the old days, in my family, if we had  any appetizers it was when company was present and we had fried green plantains, tostones, as a first course. But that was infrequent. Mainly it was just dinner plates full of rice, beans, fish, or the sometime meat dish, mainly picadillo (stewed ground beef) or  pork chops (since they were cheap).  When we did have an appetizer (apart from tostones) it was Carne de Cangrejo en Salsa Blanca. or Crabmeat in White Sauce. The sauce in question is just a mix of the crabmeat, mayonnaise and hard-cooked eggs. Nothing complex about it. Simple to prepare and designed to enhance the courses that follow.  And, yes, to this day, I use canned crabmeat, If you can find fresh crabmeat, then go for it. But canned crabmeat,  when enhance with typical Nuyorican spices, is a heavenly treat.  As an appetizer it can’t be beat.

Apart from crabmeat, you can also use tuna fish. That’s right tuna fish. Whether tuna or crabmeat, it’s a luxurious repast that friends and family will savor.

CARNE DE CANGREJO EN SALSA BLANCA
(Crabmeat in White Sauce)

Ingredients:

1 cup mayonnaise
2 hard cooked eggs, chopped
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1 tablespoons fresh tarragon or 1 teaspoons dried
Juice of half lemon
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon anchovy paste
1 teaspoon capers
4 (6-oz.) cans crabmeat, flaked
Crips lettuce

Instructions:

  1. In a bowl, mix mayonnaise, hard-cooked eggs, parsley, tarragon, lemon juice, dry mustard, anchovy paste and capers. Cover and refrigerate.
  2. When ready to serve, put a spoonful or more of crabmeat on a plate lined with crisp lettuce. If desired, you can also garnish with black olives and shredded cheese. Spoon sauce on top and serve immediately.
    Yield: 4-6 servings.