The best crab cakes are crispy on the outside, tender on the inside and bursting with fresh seafood flavor. Too many versions lean heavily on fillers, but these plump cakes are loaded with sweet crabmeat, with just enough additional ingredients to flavor and bind them, ensuring that the crab remains the star.
Crab Cakes with Lemon Aioli
For the lemon aioli:
1 cup mayonnaise (purchased or homemade)
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
1 clove garlic, minced
Fine sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
For the crab cakes:
1 lb. fresh-cooked lump crabmeat
3/4 cup panko or other dried bread crumbs
1 egg, beaten
1 Tbs. Dijon mustard
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp. hot pepper sauce
1 Tbs. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/2 cup canola oil
Lemon wedges for serving
To make the aioli, in a small bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, lemon zest and juice and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside 1/4 cup of the aioli. Cover and refrigerate the remaining aioli until serving.
Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. To make the crab cakes, pick over the crabmeat for shell shards and cartilage. In a bowl, mix together 1/4 cup of the panko, the reserved 1/4 cup aioli, the egg, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, hot pepper sauce and parsley. Add the crabmeat and mix gently until combined. Divide the mixture into 8 equal portions and shape each portion into a thick cake. Spread the remaining 1/2 cup panko in a shallow dish. Coat the cakes evenly with the panko, and transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.
In a large frying pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Add the cakes and cook until the undersides are golden brown, 2–3 minutes. Flip the cakes and cook until the other sides are golden brown, about 2 minutes more. Using a slotted spatula, transfer to paper towels to drain briefly.
Serve the crab cakes at once with the lemon wedges and pass the remaining lemon aioli on the side. Serves 4.
4 comments
The crab cakes were very good
[…] Crab Cakes and Lemon Aioli. Just realized I had this is the last family meal post, but we liked it so much, that I was itching to try it again. The first time was with canned crab meat (non-refrigerated) and it was good. This time, I got a can of refrigerated lump crab meat and it came out a lot better. I didn’t use hot sauce, but made two batches, one with 1 tbsp cayenne and one without. I also used a whole bundle of chopped parsley instead of the measly tablespoon the recipe calls for. Another change is that I lightly pan-fry instead of using a 1/2 cup of oil like the recipe suggests. True is allergic so she got a personal pan pizza that night; I want to try it next time with a batch of imitation crab just for her. […]
[…] Crab Cakes with Lemon Aioli. Very good and threw cayenne pepper in there because we love spicy. I already have some lump crab meat (a decent price at trader joe’s!) in the fridge to make more soon! […]
[…] would love to make this, but Ben says it’s a bit costly for a family dinner, so I’m thinking of making a […]