Crab Cakes: A Weekday Treat!

For the past few Christmas Eve dinners, it has become a bit of a tradition for me to make crab cakes, courtesy of a Tyler Florence recipe from "Tyler Florence's Real Kitchen", a cookbook given to me as a birthday gift from Mitch. Some of Tyler's recipes are a bit too fattening for me but this is one delectable treat that is part of my culinary repertoire.

When shopping at The Lobster Place in Chelsea Market last weekend it occurred to me that I didn't need to wait for Christmas to enjoy a great crab cake! Especially when quality crab meat is staring me right in the face!

I made the recipe below (making a half-portion for lil old me) but here's the full shebang:

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger

Peanut oil

1 lb lump crab meat, preferably Dungeness, picked over for shells

1 cup fresh bread crumbs

1 green onion, finely chopped, white & green parts

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

1 1/2 teaspoons red chili paste (i.e. sambal)

Juice of one lemon

1 egg white
Sea salt & ground white pepper

Saute the garlic and ginger in a tablespoon of peanut oil for a few minutes, infusing the flavor of the garlic & ginger in the oil. Remove from the heat. In a mixing bowl, combine the crab meat, bread crumbs, green onion, mayonnaise, chili paste, lemon juice and egg white.

Scrape the garlic-ginger oil into the bowl; season with salt and pepper. Fold the ingredients together gently but thoroughly, taking care not to mash the crab meat. Using your hands, form the mixture into 4 crab cakes; they should be moist and just hold together. Put the crab cakes on a plate, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate (good time to prep a side veggie). This allows crab cakes to set.

Coat a skillet with peanut oil and let heat. Fry crab cakes until brown, about five minutes on each side, turning carefully with a spatula. You can garnish with toasted sesame seeds and green onion if desired.

I have served with the Tyler recommended bok choy but for this last crabby excursion used some Swiss chard seasoned with soy sauce, garlic and ginger to keep with the Asian-inspired theme.

You'd be surprised how the Asian flavors and heat from the sambal elevate this dish to beyond what you'd ever find in your local seafood shack.

Nice going Tyler!