Emeril's Crab Cakes

Emeril Lagasse

Recipe courtesy Emeril Lagasse, Louisiana Real and Rustic, William Morrow and Company Publishers, 1996

Show: Emeril LiveEpisode: Bam vs. Spam

Rated 5 stars out of 5
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  • Read 20 Reviews
Total Time:
2 hr 52 min
Prep
35 min
Inactive
2 hr 0 min
Cook
17 min
Yield:
10 cakes
Level:
Intermediate
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Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 cup small diced yellow onions
  • 1/2 cup small diced celery
  • 1/4 cup small diced red bell peppers
  • 1/4 cup small diced yellow bell peppers
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
  • 1 pound lump crabmeat, cleaned and picked over for shells and cartilage
  • 1/4 cup chopped green onions
  • 1/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley leaves
  • 3 tablespoons Creole mustard
  • 4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, (juice of 2 lemons), in all
  • 2 eggs, in all
  • 3 1/2 cups vegetable oil, in all
  • 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (recommended: Tabasco)
  • 1 1/2 cups fine bread crumbs, in all
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 3 teaspoons Creole seasoning, in all
  • 1 tablespoon water
  • 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
  • Maw-Maw's Slaw, recipe follows
  • Creole Tartar Sauce, recipe follows

Directions

Heat the olive oil in a medium saute pan over medium heat. Add the onions, celery, and peppers. Season with salt and pepper. Saute for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and continue to saute for 2 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and cool for 5 minutes. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the crabmeat, green onions, grated cheese, parsley, Creole mustard, and juice of 1 lemon. Mix to incorporate. Set the mixture aside.

In a food processor with a metal blade, process 1 egg and remaining lemon juice for 1 minute. With the machine running, slowly add 1 cupvegetable oil. The mixture will be thick after all the oil is incorporated. Add the Worcestershire and hot sauce, process the mixture to incorporate. Season the mayonnaise with salt and pepper.

Fold the cooled sauteed vegetables into the crab mixture. Fold 1/2 cup of the mayonnaise and 3/4 cup of the bread crumbs into the crab mixture. Mix gently but thoroughly. In a shallow bowl, season the flour with 1 teaspoon of the Creole seasoning and the white pepper. In another bowl, whisk the remaining egg with the water. Finally in 1 bowl, combine the remaining bread crumbs and 1 teaspoon Creole seasoning together. Portion the filling into 1/3 cup balls. Form the balls into patties, about 1-inch thick. Pour the remaining 2 1/2 cups oil into a saute pan and heat to 360 degrees F, about 2 minutes. Dredge the cakes in the seasoned flour. Dip the cakes in the egg wash, letting the excess drip off. Dredge the cakes in the seasoned bread crumbs, covering the cakes completely. Gently lay the cakes in the oil and fry for 4 minutes on each side. Remove the cakes from the oil and drain on a paper-lined plate. Season the cakes with the remaining Creole seasoning. Serve with Maw-Maw's Slaw and Creole Tartar Sauce.

Maw-Maw's Slaw:

  • 1/2 pound white cabbage, shredded (about 2 cups)
  • 1/2 pound red cabbage, shredded (about 2 cups)
  • 1/2 pound assorted greens, such as mustard greens, collards, or spinach, trimmed, washed and shredded (about 2 cups)
  • 1 cup thinly sliced red onions
  • 1 cup chopped green onions, green part only
  • 1/2 cup chopped parsley leaves
  • 1 1/4 cups homemade mayonnaise
  • 1/4 cup Creole or whole grain mustard
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
  • 2 teaspoons sugar

Creole Tartar Sauce:

  • 1 egg*
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon chopped parsley leaves
  • 2 tablespoons chopped green onions
  • 1 cup olive oil
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1 tablespoon Creole or whole-grain mustard
  • 1 teaspoon salt

Creole Tartar Sauce:

  • 1 egg*
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon chopped parsley leaves
  • 2 tablespoons chopped green onions
  • 1 cup olive oil
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1 tablespoon Creole or whole-grain mustard
  • 1 teaspoon salt

Put the egg, garlic, lemon juice, parsley, and green onions in a food processor and puree for 15 seconds. With the processor running, pour the oil through the feed tube in a steady stream. Add the cayenne, mustard, and salt and pulse once or twice to blend. Cover and let sit for 1 hour in the refrigerator before using. Best if used within 24 hours.

*RAW EGG WARNING

Food Network Kitchens suggest caution in consuming raw and lightly-cooked eggs due to the slight risk of Salmonella or other food-borne illness. To reduce this risk, we recommend you use only fresh, properly-refrigerated, clean, grade A or AA eggs with intact shells, and avoid contact between the yolks or whites and the shell.

Yield: 1 1/3 cups

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Newest Ratings and Reviews

Read all 20 reviews

  • on January 21, 2011

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    This is the first time i have ever made crab cakes. They have always been a favorite food of mine but i decided to try making them myself. They turned out being the best i have ever had! i made them with the creole tartar sauce and the slaw and they were awesome together. The whole fam loved it. The only change i made was to the slaw - since the creole mustard is in the tartar sauce which had some kick i felt the dressing in the slaw should have more of a "cooling effect". So i used regular mustard instead and only 2 Tbsp. opposed to 1/4 c. I must say i felt it made the dish more balanced in flavor. All in all - BEST CRAB CAKES EVER.

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  • on January 01, 2011

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    Very good recipe but long prep time and huge mess. Doubled the recipe and it took 2 hours to make and then prep. Another 45 minutes frying them all. Made about 30 good size cakes. I skipped the slaw since this was just an app and used the half of the mayo that was left to make the creole tartar sauce. Everyone loved it. If you reheat these, about 20-25 minutes in a 350 oven will get them nice and crispy again and does not dry them out. The residual oil from frying keeps them moist.

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  • on December 24, 2010

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    Make these every year as a Christmas appitizer for parties and a mid-day snack on Christmas day! They are always the hit of the party! Emeril you are amazing!!! Try Emerils egg nog recipe as well it is an annual must have too!!

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