There are as many opinions about crab cakes as there are recipes for crab cakes. Everybody seems to have their own idea about what should go in and what should be left out.
And is it any wonder people are so passionate about crab cakes? The first printed mention of crab cakes dates back to 1930. That’s a lot of time for opinions to develop!
But we’re not here to rekindle any debates – we’re just here for the crab cakes.
We think there’s one thing that we can all agree on – it’s all about the crab. Sweet, juicy crab meat, a dab of mayo, a handful of oats… Oats? Yes, oats. In this case, we use them as both binding and breading. A perk of using oats instead of breadcrumbs – the recipe becomes gluten-free.
When it comes to our crab cakes, we try to keep things to a minimum. We know how touchy some people get about too much “stuff” in their crab cakes. Like we said, lots of good, fresh crab meat, a dab of mayo, an egg white and oats. Keep it simple.
Minimal binding ingredients means they hold their shape, but they’re ready to fall apart at just the touch of a fork. A good crab cake should never, ever require a knife.
Yup, these babies are delicate and you should treat them as such. You could bake them or broil them, but we prefer a shallow fry. That crisp, golden oat crust is the perfect foil for what lies inside.
We recommend serving these with a fresh lemon wedges and a good dollop of lemon aioli. Lemon, garlic and salt and pepper makes the perfect flavor combination to go with your delicious, crispy crab cakes.
When it comes to the choice of fries, salad or coleslaw on the side, well, that’s up to you. For once, we don’t have an opinion.
(Fries.)
Crab Cakes with Lemon Aioli
Ingredients
For crab cakes:
- 1 lb crabmeat (500 g)
- 3 scallions thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup red bell pepper minced (125 ml)
- 2 Tbsp mayonnaise (30 ml)
- 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard grainy (15 ml)
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice fresh (15 ml)
- 1 egg white, beaten
- 1 1/2 cup quick oats divided (375 ml)
- 1/2 tsp salt (2.5 ml)
- 1/4 tsp black pepper (1.5 ml)
- 1 egg large, beaten
- 2 Tbsp canola oil for frying, plus more if needed (30 ml)
For aioli:
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise (125 ml)
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 lemon juice
- 1 lemon zest
- salt to taste
- black pepper freshly ground, to taste
Instructions
Lemon aioli:
- In a small bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, garlic, lemon juice and zest. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Refrigerate until serving.
Crab cakes:
- Place 1 cup quick oats onto a shallow plate.
- In a large bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, mustard, lemon juice, egg white, salt and pepper. Stir in red pepper and scallions.
- Fold in crab meat and 1/2 cup quick oats.
- Form into patties, using approximately 1/4 cup of the mixture for each. Gently roll patties in oats, tapping off excess.
- Heat canola oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Fry three or four at a time, turning once, until golden. Add additional canola oil, if needed.
- Drain on paper towel and keep warm. Serve with quick lemon aioli.