I love crab cakes. I don't love a lot of breading though, so I came up with a recipe that is just lump crab meat and seasonings. The only breading involved is the coating on the outside. You're going to taste crab when you eat these and nothing else. Yummy! Here's what you'll need:
- 1 lb. lump crab meat
- 1/4 C mayonnaise
- 1/2 shallot, finely chopped
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 2 TBL chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 TBL prepared horseradish
- zest and juice of 1/2 a lemon
- 1 TBL Old Bay seasoning
- 1 egg
- panko bread crumbs
- olive oil and butter for frying
In a bowl, combine the mayonnaise, horseradish, garlic, shallot, cilantro, Old Bay, lemon juice and zest and mix well.
Now add the egg and mix well.
Drain the crab meat and gently squeeze to get out any extra moisture. Add the crab meat to the seasoning mixture and mix very gently until just combined. You don't want to break up those great lumps!
Add pepper and just a little salt.
Now it's time to shape the cakes. I use an ice cream scoop to keep them all the same size. Use your hand to flatten each scoop slightly so that it is patty shaped. After you shape them, cover them and refrigerate for at least an hour. This will help them to firm up a little to make them easier to fry.
Add about 1 cup of panko crumbs to a bowl and season with 1 tsp of Old Bay and mix. In a skillet, heat equal parts butter and olive oil. I fry 4 cakes at a time and use about 1 TBL of each. You aren't deep frying them, more like sautéing them. Dredge the crab cakes, one at a time in the panko, turning to coat each side. Press the patty between your hand to firm up the shape and help the bread crumbs to stick. Fry in the skillet on medium heat until brown, then turn and cook the other side. Don't crowd the crab cakes in the skillet or they will steam rather than fry.
I serve these with a remoulade sauce. If you love crab, this is your crab cake!
Enjoy!
Lynn
