Dungeness Crab Cake Towers
February 13th, 2012
Crab Cakes are a natural part of life in the Pacific Northwest. The sweet flavor of Dungeness Crab makes Pacific Northwest crab cakes the best in the country (as far as I’m concerned!). I prefer to make mine like small towers, rather than the typical pancake style of crab cake. A good crab cake recipe will use very little “filler” ingredients such as bread crumbs and mayonnaise. The predominant flavor of a good crab cake recipe should be (of course) crab! If you’re at a restaurant and you need to cut your crab cakes with a knife… run away! They should be tender and fall apart with a fork.
I pair them with 3 aioli sauces (light on the garlic): Lemon Aioli, Black Pepper-Dill Aioli, and Honey Mustard Aioli. And adding a Granny Smith Apple Salad spiked with Watercress offers a nice counter-balance to the dish, a sort of palate cleanser between bites.
Dungeness Crab Cake Recipe from Blackfish Wild Salmon Grill
Ingredients
| 1/3 | Cup | Fresh Corn, roasted, cut from cob |
| 12 | Oz | Dungeness Crab meat, lightly pressed but not squeezed |
| 2 | Tbl | Shallots, minced |
| 1 | Tbl | Fresh chives, minced |
| 1/2 | Tbl | Parsley, chopped |
| 1/8 | Tsp | Fresh Tarragon, chopped |
| 1.5 | Tbl | Red Bell pepper, brunoise |
| 1.5 | Tbl | Yellow Bell pepper, brunoise |
| 2 | Tsp | Dijon Mustard |
| 3 | Tbl | Panko or dried Bread Crumbs |
| 3 | Tbl | Cooked Maple Bacon, 1/4″ dice |
| 1/3 | Cup | Best Foods Mayo |
| Pinch | Kosher Salt | |
| Pinch | Cayenne | |
| 1 | Each | Egg, lightly beaten |
Procedure
Lightly oil corn on the cob, season, grill on a BBQ or roast in the oven. Cut kernels from cob, chill.
Combine crab, herbs, peppers, Panko, Dijon, bacon, mayo, corn and seasonings, fold together until well mixed. Add egg, gently fold into crab mixture.
Using a number 50 rind mold (available in sets at kitchen stores), form mix into tall disc (2.5 oz each). Spread some Panko on the counter and lightly press each crabcake into additional Panko on both sides, using just enough Panko for a very thin layer. Gently remove crabcake from mold and repeat until all the crabcake mix is used.
Over medium-high heat, sauté crabcakes in olive oil until golden brown, gently flip and sauté other side.
Finish in oven (set at 350°) to an internal temp of 145°. Serve!
