When it comes to wine and food pairings, sometimes I start with the food and search for the right wine pairing. In this case the wines, Karthäuserhof Mosel Rieslings came first. I have often overlooked Riesling as too sweet, not my favorite wine to pair with food. Part of that perception is the availability of quality Riesling. Too often Riesling is just sweet. Some of the very best Rieslings come from Germany, but if you don’t speak German, translating and deciphering the wine label can be a challenge. Understanding a German Wine Label. A general clue for sweetness in a Riesling is, the lower the alcohol the higher the sweetness. And then there is vineyard location.
The 2015 Karthäuserhof Riesling Ruwer QbA and the 2012 Karthäuserhof Riesling Grosses Gewachs are Rieslings from steep sloped vineyards located on the upper Mosel River. The terroir of these vineyards results in Rieslings that are fruity, often with a hint of sweetness, but balanced with racing acidity. See my tasting notes from the previous post. Karthäuserhof Riesling Tasting Notes
Both of these Rieslings paired nicely with the spiced crab cakes, however, The 2012 Karthäserhof Riesling GG was my favorite. It is trocken(dry) style with delicate flavors of stone fruit, ginger and lime balanced with that refreshing acidity. Crab, with its delicate sweetness is often a pairing with Riesling. I spiced my crab cakes up a bit to reflect the ginger and citrus flavors in the wine. The crab cakes make a nice first course or light dinner paired with the 2012 Karthäuserhof Riesling GG.
The wine samples were provided by Massanois Imports as part of #winestudio, an educational program organized by Tina Morey. Join the #winestudio conversation Tuesday at 9pm EST on Twitter.

Spiced Crab Cakes
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups panko Japanese bread crumbs
- 1 1/2 cups almond flour
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 small red bell pepper seeded and finely chopped
- 2 celery ribs finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger finely minced
- 2 small garlic cloves chopped
- 6-8 green onions white part, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons curry I used "Frontier" organic curry powder
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 lb. jumbo lump crabmeat
- 1/4 cup basil chopped
- 1/4 cup parsley chopped
- zest from 1 lime
- pinch of cayenne
- salt
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- extra limes for serving
Instructions
- Mix together the panko and almond flour. Set aside.
- Put the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium high heat. Add the bell pepper and celery and sauté for about 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and add ginger, garlic, and green onions, sauté for about 2 minutes. Stir in the curry powder and sauté for another minute.
- Add the heavy cream and increase heat to medium high, reducing cream to half, 3-5 minutes. Watch closely.
- Remove from heat and add the crab meat and two thirds of the flour/panko mixture and the parsley. Stir to combine. Add the basil, lime zest, cayenne and salt to taste. Let cool.
- Form into cakes, each about 3 inches in diameter and 1/2 inch thick. (you should have about 12 cakes) Dip the top and bottom lightly into the panko/flour mixture. Refrigerate on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper until ready to cook.
- Put the 1/4 cup olive oil in sauté pan over medium high heat, Add the crab cakes and fry for about 3 minutes per side.
- Serve with a squeeze of lime.
Leave a Reply