These crab cakes are pretty much mostly crab with just enough egg, spices, and bread crumbs to hold them together. I like them by themselves with a splash of lemon, but they also are great for crab cake sliders.
These crab cakes are about 1 inch by 2 inches. I serve them with small plates and demitasse forks (the tiny forks make the cakes last longer). I also love to serve them on top of Asian slaw.
The crab cakes are mixed, chilled, shaped, and then pan fried until browned. If you make them advance, they can be reheated in a hot oven for a few minutes.
A creamy ranch sauce, a Thai hot sauce, or an avocado sauce would also be fantastic with these crab cakes. Party on!
Mini Maryland Crab Cakes
Adapted from Fine Cooking Issue 99
Makes 12 mini crab cakes
Ingredients
1 lb jumbo lump crabmeat
1 large egg
1/4 C mayonnaise
1 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 1/2 tsp crab boil seasoning such as Old Bay
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp Worchestershire sauce
1/2 tsp Kosher salt
1 1/4 C soft fresh bread crumbs
1 T chopped fresh parsley
2 T unsalted butter
1 T olive oil
Lemon wedges
Instructions
- Drain the crab in a strainer to remove any extra liquid. pick through it for any shells if necessary.
- Place the crab in a medium bowl.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the egg, mayonnaise, mustard, Old Bay, lemon juice, Worstestershire sauce, and salt.
- Pour the liquid over the crab and mix lightly.
- Add the bread crumbs and parsley and mix with your hands lightly. Do not over mix.
- Cover and chill the mixture for about 2 hours.
- Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces and shape into 1 inch thick rounds.
- Melt the butter and olive oil in a 12 inch non-stick skillet over medium heat.
- Add the crab cakes and sear on one side for 4 minutes, until browned.
- Flip the cakes over, reduce the heat to medium low, and cook for another 4 minutes.
- Serve with lemon wedges.
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Those are just gorgeous, Karen! We were in New England over Christmas and my mom ordered crab cakes in a restaurant. They looked lovely but they were big and not so crispy. I am pretty sure I would have preferred yours!
ReplyDeleteYou definitely need to try these with your mom!
DeleteThe crab cakes look wonderful!
ReplyDeleteThank you!
DeleteExceptional work Karen! Fantastic recipe & photography.
ReplyDeleteTrivia question: Is crab meat affordable in the US?
It's a delicacy here in Athens, and it's sold in small jars, just a few grams in weight. The other option is frozen king crabs which are way more expensive.
The local crabs are way too small to use them for 1lb of meat:)
It's relatively expensive but still very affordable here in the US. We can buy it in plastic containers at large discount stores and it's pretty good quality. We also can get fresh and frozen.
DeleteVery interesting! Thank you for the feedback Karen!
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