Cocktail Crab Cakes
By America's Test KitchenPublished on June 23, 2009
Yield
Makes 24 small cakes
Ingredients
Crab Cakes
1 pound jumbo lump crabmeat, picked over to remove cartilage and shell4 scallions, green parts only, minced1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves1 ½ teaspoons Old Bay seasoning 2-4 tablespoons fine dry bread crumbs ¼ cup mayonnaise 1 large egg ½ cup unbleached all-purpose flour 6 tablespoons vegetable oilCreamy Dipping Sauce
¼ cup mayonnaise ¼ cup sour cream 2 teaspoons minced canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce1 small garlic clove, minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 1 teaspoon)2 teaspoons minced fresh cilantro leaves 1 teaspoon juice from 1 limeBefore You Begin
The amount of bread crumbs you add will depend on the juiciness of the crabmeat. Start with just 2 tablespoons. If the cakes won’t hold together once you have added the egg, add more bread crumbs, 1 tablespoon at a time.
Instructions
- : Gently mix the crabmeat, scallions, parsley, Old Bay, 2 tablespoons of the bread crumbs, and mayonnaise in a medium bowl, being careful not to break up the crab lumps. Season with salt and white pepper to taste. Carefully fold in the egg with a rubber spatula until the mixture just clings together. Add more crumbs if necessary.
- Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Using a generous tablespoon, form the mixture into 24 cakes, each 1½ inches in diameter and ½ inch thick. Place each finished cake on the baking sheet. Cover with plastic wrap and chill at least 30 minutes. (The cakes can be refrigerated for up to 24 hours.)
- While the cakes are chilling, combine all the ingredients in a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate to blend flavors, at least 30 minutes and up to 2 days.
- Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 200 degrees. Line a baking sheet with a double thickness of paper towels. Put the flour in a pie dish. Lightly dredge half of the crab cakes, knocking off the excess.
- Meanwhile, heat 3 tablespoons of the oil in a large, preferably nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Gently place the floured crab cakes in the skillet; pan fry until the outside is crisp and brown, 1 to 2 minutes. (Flour the remaining cakes while the first batch is browning.) Using a spatula, turn the cakes. Pan fry until the second side is crisp and brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer the finished cakes to a baking sheet lined with paper towels and place the sheet in the oven.
- Pour off the fat from the hot skillet and wipe clean with paper towels. Return the skillet to the heat, add the remaining 3 tablespoons oil, and heat 1 minute. Add the remaining cakes and pan-fry as above. Serve hot with the dipping sauce.
for the crab cakes
for the dipping sauce
to finish the crab cakes
Yield
Makes 24 small cakesIngredients
Crab Cakes
1 pound jumbo lump crabmeat, picked over to remove cartilage and shell
4 scallions, green parts only, minced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves
1 ½ teaspoons Old Bay seasoning
2-4 tablespoons fine dry bread crumbs
¼ cup mayonnaise
1 large egg
½ cup unbleached all-purpose flour
6 tablespoons vegetable oil
Creamy Dipping Sauce
¼ cup mayonnaise
¼ cup sour cream
2 teaspoons minced canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
1 small garlic clove, minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 1 teaspoon)
2 teaspoons minced fresh cilantro leaves
1 teaspoon juice from 1 lime
Ingredients
Crab Cakes
1 pound jumbo lump crabmeat, picked over to remove cartilage and shell
4 scallions, green parts only, minced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves
1 ½ teaspoons Old Bay seasoning
2-4 tablespoons fine dry bread crumbs
¼ cup mayonnaise
1 large egg
½ cup unbleached all-purpose flour
6 tablespoons vegetable oil
Creamy Dipping Sauce
¼ cup mayonnaise
¼ cup sour cream
2 teaspoons minced canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
1 small garlic clove, minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 1 teaspoon)
2 teaspoons minced fresh cilantro leaves
1 teaspoon juice from 1 lime
Ingredients
Crab Cakes
1 pound jumbo lump crabmeat, picked over to remove cartilage and shell
4 scallions, green parts only, minced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves
1 ½ teaspoons Old Bay seasoning
2-4 tablespoons fine dry bread crumbs
¼ cup mayonnaise
1 large egg
½ cup unbleached all-purpose flour
6 tablespoons vegetable oil
Creamy Dipping Sauce
¼ cup mayonnaise
¼ cup sour cream
2 teaspoons minced canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
1 small garlic clove, minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 1 teaspoon)
2 teaspoons minced fresh cilantro leaves
1 teaspoon juice from 1 lime
Why This Recipe Works
Our best cocktail crab cakes recipe was made with fresh meat, “jumbo lump” in particular, and just enough binding to hold the meat together. We liked bread crumbs best for our cocktail crab cakes recipe because they blended well into the mixture and contributed little flavor to compete with the crab. Glued together with a bit of good-quality mayonnaise and an egg, the crab cakes held together a bit too tenuously for comfort, but more binding only muted the crab’s flavor. The solution was a short chill: After just 30 minutes in the fridge, the cakes were firm enough to pan-fry without any risk of crumbling.
Before You Begin
The amount of bread crumbs you add will depend on the juiciness of the crabmeat. Start with just 2 tablespoons. If the cakes won’t hold together once you have added the egg, add more bread crumbs, 1 tablespoon at a time.
Instructions
- : Gently mix the crabmeat, scallions, parsley, Old Bay, 2 tablespoons of the bread crumbs, and mayonnaise in a medium bowl, being careful not to break up the crab lumps. Season with salt and white pepper to taste. Carefully fold in the egg with a rubber spatula until the mixture just clings together. Add more crumbs if necessary.
- Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Using a generous tablespoon, form the mixture into 24 cakes, each 1½ inches in diameter and ½ inch thick. Place each finished cake on the baking sheet. Cover with plastic wrap and chill at least 30 minutes. (The cakes can be refrigerated for up to 24 hours.)
- While the cakes are chilling, combine all the ingredients in a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate to blend flavors, at least 30 minutes and up to 2 days.
- Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 200 degrees. Line a baking sheet with a double thickness of paper towels. Put the flour in a pie dish. Lightly dredge half of the crab cakes, knocking off the excess.
- Meanwhile, heat 3 tablespoons of the oil in a large, preferably nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Gently place the floured crab cakes in the skillet; pan fry until the outside is crisp and brown, 1 to 2 minutes. (Flour the remaining cakes while the first batch is browning.) Using a spatula, turn the cakes. Pan fry until the second side is crisp and brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer the finished cakes to a baking sheet lined with paper towels and place the sheet in the oven.
- Pour off the fat from the hot skillet and wipe clean with paper towels. Return the skillet to the heat, add the remaining 3 tablespoons oil, and heat 1 minute. Add the remaining cakes and pan-fry as above. Serve hot with the dipping sauce.
for the crab cakes
for the dipping sauce
to finish the crab cakes
Gift This Recipe
Enjoyed this dish? Let others know by sharing it as a gift recipe.
Keep Exploring
My Rating
This is a members' feature.
0 Comments