Jumbo Lump Blue Crab Cakes
- Level: Advanced
- Yield: 8 servings
-
- Nutritional Analysis
- Per Serving
- Serving Size
- 1 of 8 servings
- Calories
- 400
- Total Fat
- 18
- Saturated Fat
- 3
- Carbohydrates
- 39
- Dietary Fiber
- 2
- Sugar
- 26
- Protein
- 24
- Cholesterol
- 162
- Sodium
- 1887
- Total: 1 hr 5 min
- Prep: 20 min
- Inactive: 30 min
- Cook: 15 min
Ingredients
2 pounds jumbo lump blue crabmeat
1/2 cup mayonnaise or homemade aioli
4 teaspoons seafood seasoning (recommended: Old Bay)
6 scallions, finely chopped, about 3/4 of the green part
3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves
2 large eggs
Salt and pepper
3 to 6 tablespoons fine bread crumbs (use just enough to help the cakes start to bind)
Canola-olive oil blend
Cocktail Sauce, recipe follows, for serving
Flavored aioli, for serving, optional
Cocktail Sauce:
1 quart ketchup
2 tablespoons horseradish
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons pepper
1 teaspoon chili powder
Pinch cayenne
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Directions
- Pick over the crabmeat to remove any shells. Be gentle, as the lumps of crab are delicate and will fall apart. Set aside. Mix together the mayonnaise, seafood seasoning, scallions, basil, eggs, and salt and pepper. Pour mixture over the crabmeat and with your hands gently mix together. Sprinkle the bread crumbs over the crab mixture and continue to mix. Divide the mixture into 4 parts and mold the cakes with your hands (do not rinse off you hands between mixing and forming the cakes, as it is mixture on your hands that help the cakes stay together).
- Refrigerate the cakes for at least 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Paint the crab cakes with a minuscule amount of oil and sear in a hot oven-safe skillet or on a griddle top until lightly golden brown on both sides. The cakes have such little binder that you need to be careful when flipping them over so that they don't fall apart. Place the pan in the oven for about 5 minutes, or to heat through.
- Serve with a red Cocktail Sauce and/or a flavored aioli.
Cocktail Sauce:
- Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Cook’s Note
Variation: I prefer to use a grill with really good hardwood briquette or mesquite. You'll need a special rack accessory that can be found in any store that sells grills. I use a rack with little holes so the crab won't fall through into the fire. Make sure that the rack is well seasoned or the crab will stick to the grill. If you're good with a grill then go for it.