Recipe of the Week:Creole Crab Cakes
Ingredients
Serves 4
- 1 tablespoon Creole mustard
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- ½ small red onion, finely chopped
- 1 green pepper, seeded de-ribbed and finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 teaspoon Kosher or sea salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup fine, dry breadcrumbs
- 1 pound lump crabmeat
- ½ cup olive oil or clarified butter
- 1 ½ cups Creole Sauce (see below)
- ¼ cup Lemon Butter Sauce (see below)
- 4 springs of fresh basil, for garnish
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
In a large bowl, whisk together the mustard, egg, mayonnaise and lemon juice until smooth. Stir in the onions, green pepper, cilantro, salt and pepper. Gently but thoroughly fold in ¾ cup of the breadcrumbs and the crabmeat. Place the remaining breadcrumbs in a shallow bowl.
With clean hands, portion out and form the crabmeat mixture into 16 round cakes, about 2 inches tall and 2 inches wide. Dredge each crab cake in the remaining breadcrumbs just to coat lightly and place on a platter.
If you plan to cook the Crabcakes later, at this point you may cover them with plastic wrap, piercing the wrap in several places to prevent the cakes from getting soggy and refrigerate up to overnight.
Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and dust lightly with breadcrumbs.
Place a large sauté pan over medium high heat and add the olive oil or clarified butter. Sauté the Crabcakes in batches for about 1 minute, until golden brown. As they are finished, transfer to the prepared baking sheet. When all the Crabcakes have been browned, finish cooking them in the hot over for 5 minutes.
In a small saucepan, heat the Creole Sauce, and then strain into another pan or bowl.
For each serving, ladle a pool of Creole Sauce in the center of a hot dinner plate, and drizzle a little bit of Lemon Butter Sauce back and forth over the top. Place 4 Crabcakes around the sauce, garnish with a sprig of basil and serve.
Creole Sauce
Creole Sauce is a standard ingredient, used in many New Orleanian dishes. It will keep in the refrigerator for up to three days, and freezes well.
Yield: About 4 cups
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- 1 small white onion, chopped
- ½ green pepper stemmed, seeded, de-ribbed and chopped
- 6 stalks celery, chopped
- ½ cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
- 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
- 2 Cups veal stock
- 1 ¼ teaspoons granulated chicken bouillon
- 1 Bouquet Garni
- 1 plum tomato, peeled, seeded and diced
- 1 ½ cups tomato puree
- Kosher or sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Tabasco Sauce
- Cayenne pepper
Instructions
Place a large saucepan over high heat and add the olive oil. When it is hot, add the onion, green pepper, celery and parsley. Cook, stirring constantly, for two minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Stir in the veal stock and chicken bouillon and add the bouquet garni, diced tomato and tomato puree. Bring to a boil, and then reduce the heat to low and simmer the sauce, partially covered for about 10 minutes, until nicely thickened. Season to taste with salt, black pepper, Tabasco Sauce and Cayenne.
Lemon Butter
Nothing simpler or more sensational
Yield: 1 cup
Ingredients
- ¾ cup unsalted butter
- Juice of one lemon
- Kosher or Sea salt and white pepper
- 2 teaspoons chopped flat leaf parsley
Instructions
Melt the butter over high heat and then add the lemon juice. Season to taste with salt and white pepper and stir in the parsley. Remove from heat and keep warm until needed.