Description
Ina Garten’s signature crab cakes blend Maryland’s coastal flavors with luxurious ingredients. Delicate lump crab meat, minimal filler, and a perfect golden crust promise a sublime seafood experience you’ll savor with each elegant bite.
Ingredients
Scale
Seafood (Main Ingredients):
- ½ pound (0.5 lb) lump crabmeat, drained and picked
Vegetables and Herbs:
- ¾ cup red onion, small diced
- 1 ½ cups celery, small diced
- ½ cup red bell pepper, small diced
- ½ cup yellow bell pepper, small diced
- ¼ cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, minced
- 1 shallot, minced
- 1 tsp fresh chives, minced
- 2 tsp fresh parsley leaves, minced
Binding and Flavoring Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ cup plain dry bread crumbs
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 2 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 tablespoon capers, drained
- 1 tablespoon capers, minced
- ¼ teaspoon hot pepper sauce (Tabasco)
- ½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 ½ teaspoons crab boil seasoning (Old Bay)
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 cornichon, minced
- 1 or 2 anchovies, minced
- Salt and fresh
Instructions
- Transform diced onions, celery, and bell peppers into a flavor foundation by gently sautéing them in 2 tablespoons (30 milliliters) butter and 2 tablespoons (30 milliliters) olive oil until they become translucent and tender.
- Enhance the vegetable mixture with chopped parsley, briny capers, zesty hot pepper sauce, robust Worcestershire sauce, traditional crab boil seasoning, and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Allow the aromatic mixture to cool completely to room temperature.
- In a spacious mixing bowl, delicately fold together premium lump crabmeat, fine breadcrumbs, creamy mayonnaise, tangy Dijon mustard, and whisked eggs until thoroughly incorporated.
- Gently integrate the cooled vegetable mixture into the crabmeat blend, ensuring even distribution of flavors. Refrigerate the combined mixture for approximately 30 minutes to help firm up the texture and meld the ingredients.
- Remove the chilled mixture from the refrigerator and carefully form compact, uniform crab cakes approximately 2 inches (5 centimeters) in diameter.
- Heat 4 tablespoons (60 milliliters) butter and 1/4 cup (60 milliliters) olive oil in a large skillet over medium temperature, creating a golden cooking surface.
- Carefully place the shaped crab cakes into the heated oil and butter mixture, cooking for 4-5 minutes on each side until they develop a crispy, golden-brown exterior.
- Transfer the freshly fried crab cakes onto paper towels to absorb excess oil, ensuring a light and crisp texture.
- Prepare the accompanying remoulade sauce by whisking together all designated ingredients in a medium bowl, then refrigerate until ready to serve alongside the hot crab cakes.
Notes
- Master the art of perfectly textured crab cakes by gently folding ingredients to preserve delicate crab meat chunks.
- Refrigerate mixture for at least 30 minutes to help crab cakes hold their shape and prevent crumbling during cooking.
- Fresh lump crabmeat transforms ordinary seafood into an extraordinary culinary experience with its sweet, delicate flavor.
- Kick up flavor complexity by adding unexpected ingredients like capers and hot sauce that dance beautifully with crab’s natural sweetness.
- High-quality mayonnaise acts as the crucial binding agent, creating a creamy foundation that elevates the entire dish.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Appetizer, Dinner
- Method: Frying
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6
- Calories: 400 kcal
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 550 mg
- Fat: 30 g
- Saturated Fat: 6 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 22 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 20 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 12 g
- Cholesterol: 150 mg