Luscious crab cakes made with a pound of lump crabmeat, bound with a creamy Dijon sauce and a light coating of Panko. Great with a dollop of remoulade! Inspired by Brigit Binns, "Crab Cakes" (Williams-Sonoma Hors d'Oeuvre, 2001)
Course Appetizer, Main Course
Cuisine American
Prep Time 1 hourhour10 minutesminutes
Cook Time 30 minutesminutes
Total Time 1 hourhour40 minutesminutes
Servings 6large or 12-14 cocktail-sized crab cakes
1poundlump crabmeat, drained well and picked over for cartilage
¾cupplain breadcrumbs*
2tablespoonsolive oil
lemon wedges, for serving
Pickapeppa Remoulade, for serving
Instructions
Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a medium saucepan or sauté pan until foaming subsides. Add celery, scallions, and bell pepper, and sauté until just beginning to soften, about 2 minutes. Stir in flour and cook over medium heat for 1-2 minutes. Slowly whisk in milk and cook, stirring, until very thick and pulling away from sides and bottom of pan, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand 1 minute. Gradually whisk in egg yolk, followed by Dijon mustard, salt, and pepper. Let mixture cool for 5 minutes.
Fold crabmeat into the sauce, gently breaking up the lumps, but leaving some large pieces intact. Shape into 6 cakes (roughly, ⅓-cup each), and coat with breadcrumbs. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, and up to 3 hours.
Heat olive oil and remaining 1 tablespoon butter in a 12-inch sauté pan until foaming subsides. Cook crab cakes about 4 minutes per side until golden brown and heated throughout, using a thin spatula to gently flip. Serve hot with a squeeze of lemon juice and a dollop of remoulade, if desired.
Notes
*I love the extra crunch of Panko bread crumbs, but find the texture of most brands too coarse for these crab cakes. So, I like to give the Panko a few pulses in the food processor before breading for a finer consistency. Alternately, you can add them to a zip-top bag, seal, and crush them with a rolling pin.