06 July 2011

Mmm...Canada: Crabcakes

Pattycake, pattycake,
Baker's man!
Bake me a crabcake as fast as you can.

I knew I wanted to continue my Canadian food journey with something from the East Coast, but I really didn't want anything big. I just wanted something to nibble on, along side some leafy greens.

When I think of the Maritimes, lobster is the first food to come to mind. Maybe one year I'll boil a lobster but not this year. I wanted something seafoodish, but little and fun to make.

Crabcakes fit the bill nicely. What I like about these is they aren't deep fried--simply browned in a pan and then finished in the oven for a few minutes. I served them with a mustardy mayonnaise, but you can choose whatever sauce you wish.


Crabcakes
Yield approximately 20 small cakes

Ingredients
450g (1lb) cooked crabmeat, drained
0.5 bell pepper, finely diced
6 spring onions, finely sliced (greens and whites)
1 Tbsp (15ml) minced parsley
30g (0.5c) dried breadcrumbs (plus more for coating)
0.5-0.75tsp (2-4ml) finely minced lemon zest
1tsp (5ml) Old Bay seasoning
1 egg
1Tbsp (60ml) mayonnaise
1tsp (5ml) Worcestershire Sauce
a good squeeze of lemon juice
a few drops of hot sauce (to taste)
salt
pepper
oil for frying

Method
Mix together the crab, pepper, spring onions, parsley, half cup of breadcrumbs and zest. In a separate bowl, mix together the Old Bay, egg, mayonnaise, lemon juice, hot sauce, salt and pepper. Pour over the crab mixture and gently combined. Fry a little bit of the crab mixture, taste and balance flavours to taste.

Form patties by pressing together two tablespoons' worth of crab. Refridgetate for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Line a baking sheet with tin foil and grease lightly.

Heat a little oil in a pan. Coat the patties in bread crumbs and fry for about 3 minutes on each side. Arrange on the prepared tray and bake for 10-15 minutes.

Serve warm, with flavoured mayonnaise (curry, lemon-dill, chipotle, etc) or tartar sauce.

cheers!
jasmine
I'm a quill for hire!

3 comments:

Valerie Harrison (bellini) said...

I love crabcakes of every shape and form with a little sauce, on a slider or with a piece of melted brie on top!

Valérie said...

They look great! I haven't made crab cakes in a long time, still looking for that perfect recipe. Now I can give this one a try!

Tomato said...

it’s perfectly okay with me to call this cakes majestic! I’d have to give this one a try. Lovely!