Description
Ina Garten’s barefoot contessa crab cakes blend succulent Maryland blue crab with delicate herbs and spices. Crisp golden exteriors and tender interiors make these cakes a coastal culinary treasure you cannot resist.
Ingredients
Scale
- 0.5 lb (227 g) lump crabmeat, drained and picked
- 2 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten
- 1.5 cups (360 ml) celery, small diced
- 0.75 cup (180 ml) red onion, small diced
- 0.5 cup (120 ml) red bell pepper, small diced
- 0.5 cup (120 ml) yellow bell pepper, small diced
- 1 cup (240 ml) mayonnaise
- 0.5 cup (120 ml) mayonnaise
- 0.5 cup (120 ml) plain dry bread crumbs
- 2 tbsps (30 ml) unsalted butter
- 2 tbsps (30 ml) olive oil
- 0.25 cup (60 ml) fresh flat-leaf parsley, minced
- 2 tsp (10 ml) fresh parsley leaves, minced
- 1 tsp (5 ml) fresh chives, minced
- 2 tsp (10 ml) Dijon mustard
- 1.5 tsp (7.5 ml) crab boil seasoning (Old Bay)
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) capers, drained
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) capers, minced
- 0.5 tsp (2.5 ml) kosher salt
- 0.5 tsp (2.5 ml) black pepper, freshly ground
- 0.25 tsp (1.25 ml) hot pepper sauce (Tabasco)
Instructions
- Vegetable Preparation: Sauté diced onions, celery, and bell peppers in butter and olive oil until translucent, creating a flavor-rich base for the crab cakes.
- Seasoning Blend: Incorporate parsley, capers, hot pepper sauce, Worcestershire sauce, crab boil seasoning, salt, and black pepper into the vegetable mixture. Cool to room temperature to meld flavors.
- Crab Mixture Fusion: Combine lump crabmeat, breadcrumbs, mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, and eggs in a large bowl. Gently fold until ingredients are evenly distributed, ensuring a cohesive texture.
- Flavor Melding: Fold cooled vegetable mixture into the crab blend, creating a harmonious flavor profile. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to firm up and allow ingredients to marry.
- Cake Formation and Cooking: Shape chilled mixture into compact 2-inch cakes. Heat butter and olive oil in a skillet over medium heat, then carefully pan-fry crab cakes for 4-5 minutes per side until achieving a crisp, golden-brown crust.
- Finishing Touch: Drain crab cakes on paper towels to remove excess oil. Simultaneously, whisk together remoulade sauce ingredients and refrigerate until serving.
- Serving: Present golden crab cakes hot, accompanied by the chilled remoulade sauce for a delightful culinary experience.
Notes
- Chill Before Shaping: Refrigerate the crab cake mixture for 30 minutes to help bind ingredients and prevent crumbling during cooking.
- Use High-Quality Crabmeat: Select premium lump crabmeat for the best texture and most authentic flavor in your crab cakes.
- Gentle Handling Matters: Fold ingredients carefully and form cakes gently to maintain the delicate crab texture and prevent breaking.
- Perfect Browning Technique: Use a combination of butter and olive oil to achieve a crispy, golden-brown exterior while adding rich flavor to the crab cakes.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Appetizer, Dinner
- Method: Frying
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4
- Calories: 420
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 800 mg
- Fat: 30 g
- Saturated Fat: 6 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 24 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 20 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 16 g
- Cholesterol: 120 mg