Friday, October 7, 2016

Crab Cakes with Remoulade Sauce

This is a recipe that wears two hats: first, it’s a tribute to my recent time in New Orleans, where I had some amazing crab cake sliders; second, my sister is visiting, and she’s a big fan of crab even though she lives in a land-locked state, so how could I say no to her?

I’m no expert on Louisiana cooking, although I do remember eating boiled shrimp with remoulade sauce there a long time ago. I have a sneaking feeling that the sauce varies according to whoever makes it, but the basic nature of it is tart and tangy and creamy. I searched through a variety of cookbooks from various places, and I came up with a blended version here.



Finding crab was a bigger challenge, but thank goodness for packaged fresh crabmeat. Our local store had only one variety: Jonah Crab Meat. It seems to be a crab the flourishes along the Atlantic seacoast. I bought one crab claw, just so you could see what it looks like (Halloween colors!), and two packages of the meat, already removed from the shell (BTW, that claw had one seriously thick shell!).


Crab Cakes

Ingredients:



8-12 oz. fresh lump crab meat (A note on crab meat: makes sure you check carefully for shell fragments. Plus this recipe called for “lump” crab meat, but what you get from a Jonah crab is more like “shred” crab meat. Tastes fine either way.)


1 egg
2 Tblsp mayonnaise
1/4 cup finely chopped onion (or if you think that might be too strong, you can use shallot)
1 Tblsp minced parsley
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 dash Louisiana hot sauce (optional!)
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 Tblsp fresh lemon juice
Bread crumbs for dredging the cakes
Vegetable oil for frying

Combine all the ingredients except the last two (bread crumbs and oil). Mix until evenly blended, but you don’t have to overwork it. Shape into evenly sized cakes (mine were a heaping ¼ cup) and roll in bread crumbs. Place on a baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 2 hours (to let the flavors blend, and so they’ll hold together while you cook them).



Lightly coat a large skillet or stovetop grill with the oil. Over medium heat, cook the crab cakes for 3-5 minutes per side, or until they’re golden brown, turning once. You can serve them immediately, or put them on a baking sheet and keep warm in a low oven for 10-15 minutes.




Remoulade Sauce

Ingredients:

While the crab cakes are “resting” in the fridge, make the sauce.



1/3 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 Tblsp lemon juice
1 Tblsp prepared white horseradish
2 Tblsp minced fresh parsley
1-1/2 minced gherkins (pickles)
1-1/2 tsp drained capers, chopped
½ tsp minced or pressed garlic
½ tsp anchovy paste
1 Tblsp sweet paprika
Salt and pepper to taste
Hot pepper sauce to taste

In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, mustard, oil, lemon juice and horseradish, and blend well. Stir in the parsley, gherkins, capers, garlic, anchovy and paprika. Season to taste with salt, pepper and pepper sauce.



Place in a covered container and refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving (you can make this ahead—it keeps well for a couple of days).

To serve as sliders (not required—you can eat the crab cakes plain), find some small buns, add a leaf of butter lettuce, place a crab cake on the lettuce, and garnish with a dollop of the sauce.



And let the good times roll!


Seeds of Deception is out! In bookstores! Online! Everywhere! (I hope.)

Find it at Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

www.sheilaconnolly.com


12 comments:

  1. The crab cake sliders sound delicious! I have never made remoulade sauce. I have got to try this! Add Seeds of Deception and let the good times roll! Thanks for sharing the recipes!

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  2. I also had excellent crab cakes in NOLA but without the remoulade sauce. Thanks for the recipe!

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  3. These are fabulous! No fillers-all crab.
    Perfect!

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    Replies
    1. My mother used to judge crab cakes by how much filler they contained. Recipes often call for lump crabmeat, but it's harder to get the cakes to hold their shape, so the Jonah crab is a good alternative because it shreds.

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  4. I ADORE crab cakes, and yes, loved them in NOLA. The open-faced croissant stuffed with a soft-shell crab with a bacon hollandaise was interesting, too!

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  5. Love this series and this book. And the recipe sounds great. I have been making salmon patties with smoked salmon and oh boy are they good. just dont like to fry so i bake them. Thanks for the great info

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    1. Everything is better with smoked salmon! Do you mix it with regular salmon? And I agree about the frying--a lot of recipes call for deep-fat frying for crab cakes, but a plain griddle or pan works just fine, without all the grease.

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  6. I adore crab cakes and make mine much the same but do add slightly cooked fresh red pepper chopped finely. I have always had them with the red pepper in restaurants and now make mine that way too. I love lots of lemon squeezed over them and sauce too. Thanks for reminding me that I had not made them in awhile. We are going to Maryland for 9 days next month so I am sure that I will be getting a good many meals with crab in them during that vacation.
    Cynthia B.

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    Replies
    1. I love the idea of the fresh red pepper--must be pretty! My folks lived in Maryland for several years, so I enjoyed the crab there.

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  7. The crab cakes look wonderful. I've made remoulade for catfish po boys and Cajun seasoned fish. Can't wait to read the new book.

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