Let’s face it—eating crab is a labor of love. After all of that picking and cracking, you’re left with a few ounces of meat, and while it’s delicious, it doesn’t go very far. Enter the crab cake, the perfect way to get more mileage out of these little crustaceans (and also a great entry for those who may be wary of diving headlong into cracking crab).
Ingredients
Crab Cakes
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
½ cup finely diced yellow onion
¼ cup finely diced celery
¼ cup finely diced red (or green) bell pepper
½ teaspoon minced garlic
¼ cup thinly sliced green onion (green part only)
2 teaspoons freshly-squeezed lemon juice
1 ½ teaspoons Creole seasoning, divided
1 tablespoon Creole mustard
1 beaten egg
1 ½ cups mayonnaise (we prefer Duke’s)
1 cup crushed Ritz Crackers
2 pounds lump crab meat
1 pound jumbo lump crab meat
Oil (canola or vegetable) for frying
Creole Mustard Sauce
2 cups mayonnaise (again, Duke’s)
1 tablespoon Creole mustard
1 teaspoon Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce
1 teaspoon Creole seasoning
2 teaspoons freshly-squeezed lemon juice
Recommended Tools
Two spatulas (for flipping the crab cakes)
Cast iron pan or plancha (or similar vessel with a heavy bottom for heat retention)
Let’s face it—eating crab is a labor of love. After all of that picking and cracking, you’re left with a few ounces of meat, and while it’s delicious, it doesn’t go very far. Enter the crab cake, the perfect way to get more mileage out of these little crustaceans (and also a great entry for those who may be wary of diving headlong into cracking crab).
step 1
Combine all of the mustard sauce ingredients in a small bowl; cover and refrigerate.
step 2
- Heat a cast iron pan or plancha over medium heat. Add the butter. Once melted, stir in the onions and cook until the edges are translucent. Don’t brown the onions.
step 3
Add the celery, bell pepper, and ½ teaspoon Creole seasoning and let cook until softened, stirring occasionally. Add the mixed garlic and cook briefly (just until fragrant). Remove from heat.
step 4
- Place the vegetable mixture into a large bowl. Let it cool slightly, then add the green onions, lemon juice, 1 teaspoon of Creole seasoning, Creole mustard, beaten egg, mayonnaise, and crushed crackers. Mix until combined.
step 5
- Gently fold the crab meat into the mixture, taking care to keep the crab intact (don’t overmix and break up the lump crab).
step 6
- By hand, form the crab mixture into lightly-packed patties, taking care not to compress it too tightly. While the size of the crab cake can be based on your personal preference, make sure that the size you choose remains uniform for even cooking. (For reference, a Skoal can is an ideal size for the crab cakes.)
step 7
- Chill the crab cakes for at least 20 minutes. Remove from the refrigerator.
step 8
Heat a cast iron pan or plancha grill over medium, then add ¼ cup of oil. Once the oil is hot, carefully add crab cakes (taking care not to crowd the pan). Let it cook until the bottom side is golden brown. Take your time and don’t rush. The crab cake should only be flipped once; if flipped too early, it will stick and break into pieces.
Step 9
Using the two-spatula method—compressing the top and sliding the other under the bottom—carefully flip the browned crab cake and cook the other side. Once it is browned and the crab cake is heated through, remove from the pan.
Step 10
Crab cakes can be held in a 180˚ oven until all of the patties have been cooked. Serve with Creole mustard sauce.