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Today I'm going to show you how to make
restaurant-quality crab cakes at home. You'll be able to impress
someone special without breaking the bank.
This recipe uses canned crab for convenience, but if you
have fresh crab, that works too.
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In most grocery stores you can find fresh-pasteurized crab meat
in cans or containers. They're typically located in the refrigerated aisle near
the seafood section. The first thing you're going to want to
do is drain off any excess moisture which I did already
and then roughly chop some of the meat so that you have some nice flakes.
You don't want big chunks because it'll prevent the patties from forming together.
To add some color and crunch to the crab
cakes I'm going to add some freshly chopped vegetables.
Finely dice a 1/4cup of red bell pepper.
Mince 2 tablespoons of red onion.
Crab cakes are delicate but using a
panade mixture of breadcrumbs, eggs, mayonnaise, and
mustard creates a proper binder.
In a medium bowl
combine a 1/2 a pound of crab meat
1 cup bread crumbs, 1 egg,
2 tablespoons mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon mustard,
3/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper,
1/4 cup bell pepper, 2 tablespoons red onion,
and 1 tablespoon chives
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As the starches and the bread crumbs start to absorb the moisture
it's going to start to get sticky. Plus the eggs when they get cooked
they're going to set and bind everything together.
This helps the crab cakes hold their shape while frying.
Divide the crab mixture into four portions
about a 1/2 cup packed or 4 ounces.
Form into compact discs 3-inches wide
and 1-inch thick.
Make sure to form the
crab cakes into tight patties this size is perfect for individual-sized
portions or you can make them into halves to create nice hors d'oeuvres.
At this point you can pop them into the refrigerator and make them a day ahead
of time, but I would wait to add that panko crust
because they'll get soggy in the refrigerator.
For the coating I'm going to use panko breadcrumbs they look a little bit like
this. They're often used in Japanese cuisine,
they're light airy and have a ton of crunch
and they're shaped into flakes. They're different from traditional breadcrumbs
that look like this. Because traditional breadcrumbs are
round they're dense and if you buy them from the store they
taste a little bit stale so they're going to give you
an even coating but not too much crunch. So if you don't have homemade
breadcrumbs, definitely use panko.
Add a half cup of the panko breadcrumbs
into a shallow bowl. Gently press and coat each cake
The little extra layer of panko coating is going to add a ton of crunch the
crab cakes let's go fry them up.
Heat a large non-stick pan over medium heat
add vegetable oil and once hot add the crab cakes.
Cook until the surface is golden brown, about five minutes on each side.
Be careful when flipping over.
Cooking the crab cakes over moderate
heat with just a little bit of fat is going to ensure a super crispy
surface and it's going to cook that raw egg that's inside.
These look ready to garnish. Wow these look incredible!
But it's not a complete gourmet meal without this irresistible steak recipe
right here. I like to serve crab cakes with some
aioli, or tartar sauce, fresh-squeezed
lemon wedges, and some extra chives
I hope you enjoyed the science behind crab cakes, see you in the next video.