Countdown Crab Cakes

Happy New Year everyone! Who doesn’t love seafood around the holidays… lobster, stone crabs, scallops… Seafood – and I don’t mean your everyday tilapia or salmon – somehow turns any cold winter’s evening into a festive feast. This New Year’s Eve, crab cakes are on the menu!

What’s not to like about crab cakes: buttery crab inside, toasty fried outside, and a garlicky dip to top it all off (see my last post on aioli) . And an added bonus: crab is easy to find – even in my small hometown – and doesn’t have to be ordered ahead of time. So if you’ve been busy with other holiday festivities and are now “in a pinch” (get it? crab?) for NYE dinner plans – here’s your answer! As you count down to 2018 this New Year’s Eve, try these quick and flavorful crab cakes – you’ll be glad you did!

First, gather your ingredients:

• 1 lb. lump crab meat, drained well (Note – my small hometown’s grocery store did not have lump crab meat, so I used what they had. Still tastes great, I just think lump meat just gives you a better texture)
• 1/2 medium onion
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 whole egg + 1 egg yolk
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley, plus extra for garnish
• 1 cup panko
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 2 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning
• 1 tablespoon hot sauce (such as Tabasco)
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons butter, divided
• extra virgin olive oil (vegetable or canola oil should work just as well)
• lemon wedges for serving
• aioli (For serving with crab cakes, I add another 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice, 1/4 teaspoon paprika, and 1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard. One recipe of aioli is probably enough for 12 crab cakes.)

Finely dice the onion and bell pepper. Melt a tablespoon of butter in a skillet over medium high heat, and sauté the onion and pepper until softened, about 4 minutes.

Next, mix together the onion and pepper, crab, and the next 10 ingredients. If you are using lump crab meat, be sure to stir gently so as not to break up all the tasty chunks of crab.

colorful ingredients make these crab crakes bright and festive

Now take about 1/2 cup of the mixture at a time, and form it into a crab cake. A measuring cup works nicely as a mold. Place the crab cakes on a plate or baking sheet, and then refrigerate for at least an hour. You could even make them ahead of time and refrigerate overnight.

When you’re ready to cook your crab cakes, take them out of the fridge and heat olive oil (enough to cover the bottom of the pan) and remaining tablespoon of butter over medium high heat in a skillet. Once oil is hot, fry the crab cakes – about 4 minutes per side or until heated through and golden brown.

that sizzle sounded as good as it looks!

Finally, serve crab cakes with aioli and garnish with parsley and lemon wedges. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. lump crab meat, drained well
• 1/2 medium onion
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 whole egg + 1 egg yolk
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley, plus extra for garnish
• 1 cup panko
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 2 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning
• 1 tablespoon hot sauce (such as Tabasco)
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons butter, divided
• extra virgin olive oil (vegetable or canola oil should work just as well)
• lemon wedges for serving
• aioli (For serving with crab cakes, I add another 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice, 1/4 teaspoon paprika, and 1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard. One recipe of aioli is probably enough for 12 crab cakes.)

Makes 6 crab cakes

Finely dice the onion and bell pepper. Melt a tablespoon of butter in a skillet over medium high heat, and sauté the onion and pepper until softened, about 4 minutes. Next, mix together the onion and pepper, crab, and next 10 ingredients. If you are using lump crab meat, be sure to stir gently so as not to break up the crab. Taking about 1/2 cup of the crab mixture at a time, form it into crab cakes. Place the crab cakes on a plate or baking sheet, and refrigerate for at least an hour. (You could even make them ahead of time and refrigerate overnight.) When you’re ready to cook your crab cakes, take them out of the fridge and heat olive oil (enough to cover the bottom of the pan) and remaining tablespoon of butter over medium high heat in a skillet. Once oil is hot, fry the crab cakes – about 4 minutes per side or until heated through and golden brown. Finally, serve crab cakes with aioli and garnish with parsley and lemon wedges. Enjoy!