Blue Crab Cakes with Cayenne Mayonnaise
Submitted by baileyjrdn
Blue crab cakes bound with ground water crackers and sauteed golden in butter, served with a homemade cayenne mayonnaise made with roasted red pepper, anchovies, and capers.
YIELD
8 servingsPREP
22 minCOOK
8 minREADY
30 minThese crab cakes let the blue crab do the talking. Ground water crackers replace breadcrumbs as the binder, adding a lighter, more delicate crunch that doesn’t compete with the sweet crab. The mixture gets folded together by hand so the crab stays in lumps rather than getting shredded into paste.
That hand-mixing step is the difference between a great crab cake and an expensive fish stick. Be gentle. You want the binding ingredients distributed through the crab, not mashed into it. Thirty minutes in the fridge after mixing firms everything up so the patties hold together in the pan.
The cayenne mayonnaise is worth every minute of the extra effort. Roasted red pepper, anchovies, capers, six cloves of garlic, and cayenne get blended smooth, then oil is drizzled in slowly to emulsify into a spicy, savory, deeply flavored mayo that’s leagues beyond anything from a jar.
Saute the cakes in butter over medium heat. Three to four minutes per side gives you a golden crust without overcooking the delicate crab inside. Don’t press them down with the spatula or you’ll squeeze out all the moisture.
Pro Tips
- Pick through the crab meat carefully for shell fragments before mixing. One crunchy shard ruins the whole bite.
- Ground water crackers should be fine, almost like flour. Coarse crumbs won’t bind properly.
- The cayenne mayo uses raw egg yolks. Use the freshest eggs you can find, or pasteurized yolks if that’s a concern.
- Drizzle the oil into the blender very slowly. Rushing creates a broken, oily mess instead of creamy mayo.
Variations
- Broiled finish: Instead of pan-frying, broil the crab cakes on a sheet pan for a lighter version with a crispy top.
- Remoulade swap: Replace the cayenne mayo with a classic remoulade for a more traditional Cajun pairing.
Ingredients
Directions
In a medium bowl place the celery, green onions, parsley, egg, mustard, mayonnaise, and lemon juice.
Mix the ingredients together well.
Add the salt, pepper, and ground biscuits.
Gently mix the ingredients together with your hands so that they are well combined.
Carefully fold the crab meat into the mixture.
Let the mixture sit for ½ hour in the refrigerator.
Form the mixture into patties.
In a large skillet place the butter and heat it on medium until it has melted.
Sauté the crab cakes for 3 to 4 minutes on each side, or until they are golden brown.
CAYENNE MAYONNAISE: In a blender place the roasted red bell pepper, egg yolks, white wine vinegar, lemon juice, capers, garlic, anchovy fillets, and cayenne pepper.
Blend the ingredients together so that they are smooth.
With the blender still running, slowly dribble in the salad oil so that a mayonnaise is formed.
Correct the seasoning with the salt (and more lemon juice) if necessary.
Serve the crab cakes with the Cayenne Mayonnaise and lemon wedges.
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