Zingy Crab Cakes

Last September I won a copy of Dinner by Domini Kemp after entering a competition on Twitter run by Keith Mahon of TheTaste.ie. The Taste is a great online magazine dedicated to Irish food culture with some fab offers so well worth checking out. Why it has taken me this long to post a recipe from Dinner I have no idea. It is a great book full of ideas for those days when you just don’t know what to cook.

Regular readers of the blog may have noticed that I don’t really use fish and seafood. Firstly, I’m not a huge fan and secondly, I am not very confident in cooking it. This recipe however could not be easier. And crab is the only shellfish that I actually do like. These crab cakes are so light and fresh tasting.They can be easily adapted to include ingredients that you like yourself, for example fresh ginger grated into the mixture would be a lovely addition.

In the book, the outside of the cakes are breadcrumbed using the method of flouring, dipping in egg and rolling in panko breadcrumbs. I would imagine this gives them a gorgeous crunchy coating but I found the mixture a bit wet and difficult to shape so I just added the egg and breadcrumbs straight into the crab and it worked fine. If you are trying to impress, take your time and coat them as suggested.

If you are having a party you could make small bite size canapes from this recipe, just keep them warm in a low oven before serving.

Serves 2-4 as a light meal or starter

 

Ingredients:

• 200g cooked crab meat
• ½ red chilli, finely chopped
• 2 spring onions, finely sliced
• The zest and juice of 1 lime
• Some fresh coriander and/or parsley, chopped
• Salt and pepper
• 1 egg, beaten
• A handful of plain flour
• 75g regular breadcrumbs – you might not use all of this
• Sunflower oil

Method:

• Drain the crab meat to get as much liquid as possible out of it.
• Add the meat to a bowl with the chilli, onions, lime zest and juice, and the fresh herbs. Give the ingredients a good stir with a fork to make sure everything is well combined. Taste and season as needed with a little salt and a good amount of cracked black pepper.
• Stir in the beaten egg, flour and just enough breadcrumbs to bring everything together. Divide the mixture into 4 (or more if making canapes) and shape into patties. Put the cakes onto a plate and cover with foil. Put them in the fridge for an hour to firm them up and dry them out a little.
• When ready to cook, heat some oil in a non stick frying pan over a medium-high heat.
• Fry the crab cakes carefully for a few minutes in each side until they are golden brown.
• Drain on kitchen paper and serve immediately.
• I served mine on some rocket leaves with a sweet chilli sauce and mayo mixed with some lime juice.