This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #TheFreshMarket #TFMCrabBash #Collectivebias
One of my favorite things in life is a great dinner party. Whether I get to throw it, or I am simply attending one with friends, I love the gorgeous array of food, drink, conversation, and creative energy that thrives during a dinner party.
Recently, my brother moved out to North Carolina with us, so be could explore the East Coast and possibly make it his home, too. However, he has decided to take a job back in the midwest, so we are (sadly) preparing for him to head back home. We were so happy to have him live with us for the last month, and I had to give him a proper send off for his next adventure. Of course, in my world, there is no better way to appreciate a person than showering them with food, drinks, and good company.
In order to guarantee a successful send off party, I turned to my favorite food store here in Southern Pines. I am super lucky to just live two blocks away from The Fresh Market, because it literally is the exact store that suits our lifestyle. I literally start every shopping trip with a cup of coffee (which rotates weekly) as soon as I walk in. Then I peruse their gorgeous floral area, picking a couple of greens / flowers that will fit in perfectly with the food spread I’ll be creating later.
There are gourmet nut blends, an incredible olive / tapas bar, a seafood bar, fresh bread, and the list goes on. My main focus for this trip were crab cakes; seeing as we are on the coast, I had to make sure Nick had experienced a true “crab bash” before he ventured back to the middle of the country. 🙂
I picked up four of the Ultimate Crab Cakes, four Maryland Crab Cakes, tempura shrimp, and *drool* Nova Bits (smoked salmon) from the seafood department. Then I snagged some marinated artichokes, stuffed grape leaves, and roasted garlic from the olive / tapas bar. I hit the seafood bar next, and collected a few marinated shrimp, plus some incredible shrimp and scallop salad.
I tossed some prosciutto, freshly baked French Bread, fresh strawberries, The Fresh Market floral honey, and The Fresh Market whipped cream cheese into my cart to offer a further variety of options for my killer spread. Guys. Seriously. This is my favorite one-stop-shot for easy entertaining, or when I want to impress Mark with an awesome date night in! 😀
I also picked out some gorgeous purple and green floral pieces, and (of course) a bottle of wine. If you are literally in a pinch and want to impress your guests, I cannot recommend this store enough. We are super picky with the quality and variety of foods in our weekly meals, and I always find fun, delicious, and new foods to try at The Fresh Market. Ugh. It’s the grocery trip I look forward to every few days! Seriously.
The crab cakes were definitely the star of the show, but *oh my gosh* — everything was so good and so much fun to eat. We all loved the Ultimate Crab Cakes that are made fresh at The Fresh Market. They’re made with 80% lump crab meat, so there’s no filler or fluff to mask the succulent crab taste. The crab is also sustainably caught in the Gulf of St. Lawrence in Canada, and I am a huge supporter of sustainably caught seafood. Responsible eating directly ties to responsible sourcing! But the Ultimate Crab Cakes themselves are stuffed with tender, gorgeous crab meat. Every bite I took was consistently packed with flavor, and so incredibly satisfying!
I had been dying to make a Calabrian aioli all summer, and finally had the perfect excuse to do so! Tartar sauce or lemon aioli are super common with crab cakes, but I wanted to spice things up a little. I came up with a super easy (and so insanely delicious) Calabrian aioli to dip the crab cakes in, and I don’t think I could ever eat them with anything else. It was just a little spicy, but balanced with garlic, lemon, and parsley too. Scroll down for the full recipe … you’re going to love it!
I think I got a little carried away with all of the food I bought … but I honestly couldn’t stop once I started shopping. Lol. If anyone is free tonight or tomorrow, stop on by so we can all indulge together! Or just stop by for one of the best crab cakes you’ll ever have, and my favorite aioli. I promise you won’t be disappointed. And in the meantime, head over to The Fresh Market for more cooking and serving tips! <3
This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #TheFreshMarket #TFMCrabBash #Collectivebias
calabrian aioli
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup high quality mayonnaise best quality
- 2 Calabrian peppers seeds removed, minced
- 1 clove garlic pressed or minced
- 1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp. lemon zest
- 1 Tbsp. finely chopped parsley
- salt + pepper to taste
Instructions
- Remove seeds from the Calabrian peppers. Slice into thin strips, then finely chop. Repeat chopping until the peppers are nearly a paste.
- Press the garlic through a garlic press, or finely mince.
- Add mayonnaise, peppers, garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice to a bowl and whisk to thoroughly combine. Add parsley, repeat. Season with salt and pepper to fit your tastes.
- Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for one hour before serving. Enjoy!
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