With crab season upon us it seems imperative for Pacific North Westerners to have a good crab cake recipe on hand. The key to this recipes is freshness; fresh crab, fresh herbs, and fresh breadcrumbs. The cakes are moist and meaty and packed with fresh herbs. You can put them on a bed of salad greens or alone with Miso Aoli.
These delightful morsels also freeze well, making it a perfect meal or appetizer for that hot summer night when you don't even want to think about cooking!
Dungeness Crab Cakes with Miso Aoli
Crab Cakes
Serves 4
- 1 lb Shelled Dungeness Crab Meat
- 1/4 cup Fresh herbs, chopped (dill, parsley, chives)
- 1/2 cup Mayonnaise
- 1 ea Egg
- 1 tsp Garlic, finely minced and mashed (or just use a garlic press)
- 1/2 - 1 tsp Salt
- 1/2 cup Fresh Bread Crumbs (take a few slices of your favorite bread and pulse in a food processor. If this isn't an option feel free to use Panko or other store bought bread crumbs)
- 2 Tbl Olive or Vegetable oil
- 1 recipe Miso Aoli (recipe follows)
1. Squeeze out all the moisture from the crab and put in a bowl. Add the herbs (I use dill, parsley, and chives but there are many other herbs that would be wonderful in this recipe), mayonnaise, egg, garlic, salt, and the bread crumbs.
2. Mix everything until just together being careful to not break up the larger chunks of crab meat.
3. Once all the ingredient are together scoop out a small amount, form into a patty, and use as a tester. At this point you may have to adjust the mayonnaise or bread crumbs if the patty is too wet or too dry. Heat a non-stick pan with about 1 tsp of oil and cook the cake on medium low heat until golden brown on both sides. You should be able to use tongs to turn the cake over. If it falls apart you may need to add a little more mayonnaise. Taste the tester and adjust seasonings as needed.
4. Now you are ready to make the rest of your cakes. If you have a portion scoop it will make things much easier. I use a #12, a 1/3 cup portion, which should give you about 8 crab cakes. Scoop out your portions and then loosely shape them into patties.
5. At this point you can freeze or cook them. If you are going to freeze them I suggest placing them on a sheet tray lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat and letting them freeze, then put them in a labeled ziplock for storage.
6. If you are going to cook them immediately heat a non-stick pan over medium low heat. Add the oil and cook on each side for 2-3 minutes or until golden brown. Take off the heat and put on a plate with a paper towel to take off excess oil. Plate and serve with Miso Aoli.
2. Mix everything until just together being careful to not break up the larger chunks of crab meat.
3. Once all the ingredient are together scoop out a small amount, form into a patty, and use as a tester. At this point you may have to adjust the mayonnaise or bread crumbs if the patty is too wet or too dry. Heat a non-stick pan with about 1 tsp of oil and cook the cake on medium low heat until golden brown on both sides. You should be able to use tongs to turn the cake over. If it falls apart you may need to add a little more mayonnaise. Taste the tester and adjust seasonings as needed.
4. Now you are ready to make the rest of your cakes. If you have a portion scoop it will make things much easier. I use a #12, a 1/3 cup portion, which should give you about 8 crab cakes. Scoop out your portions and then loosely shape them into patties.
5. At this point you can freeze or cook them. If you are going to freeze them I suggest placing them on a sheet tray lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat and letting them freeze, then put them in a labeled ziplock for storage.
6. If you are going to cook them immediately heat a non-stick pan over medium low heat. Add the oil and cook on each side for 2-3 minutes or until golden brown. Take off the heat and put on a plate with a paper towel to take off excess oil. Plate and serve with Miso Aoli.
Miso Aoli
This very simple recipe is based on one from a restaurant where I used to work. We used it with many different dishes as it makes a wonderful dipping sauce for many things. I sometimes like to add a little extra rice wine vinegar and olive oil and turn it into a salad dressing.
- 2 Tbl Miso Paste
- 1 tsp Sambal
- 1 1/2 Tbl Soy Sauce
- 1 Tbl Sherry
- 2-3 ea Garlic Clove, crushed
- 2 Tbl Cilantro
- 1 Tbl Rice Wine Vinegar
- 1/2 tsp Honey
- 1 cup Mayonnaise
1. Put all the ingredients except the mayonnaise into a blender or food processor and blend until you have a homogeneous mixture.
2. Put the mayonnaise in a bowl and pour your mixture over the top. Stir everything together and then you are ready to serve!
