Jumbo Lump Crabcakes
Jumbo lump crab cakes bound with a house-made lime-Dijon hollandaise, coated in panko, then pan-seared golden and finished in the oven. Restaurant-grade cakes with zero filler overpowering the crab.
YIELD
6 servingsPREP
30 minCOOK
40 minREADY
1 hrsThese aren’t your average crab cakes. The trick is the binder. Instead of raw egg and mayo, the crab meat gets folded with a chilled hollandaise-style sauce built by whisking hot oil infused with onions and sweet peppers into yolks with lime juice, Dijon, and fish sauce. The warm oil cooks the yolks to a silky mayo-like emulsion that tastes like nothing from a jar.
Jumbo lump is delicate, so the gentlest possible folding keeps the big flaky chunks intact. That visual matters. A crab cake full of intact lumps looks and eats completely different from one that’s been mashed into paste.
Panko on the outside fries up shattering-crisp. A sear for color, then a quick oven warm-up to heat the centers without overcooking the crab.
Pro Tips
- Pick the crab meat twice for shells. One missed shard ruins an otherwise stunning bite.
- Add breadcrumbs gradually and let the mix sit a minute between additions. They absorb moisture as they rest, so adding too many early leaves the cakes dry.
- Chill the formed cakes 20 minutes before breading. Cold cakes hold their shape in the pan; warm ones fall apart.
- Use real panko, not regular bread crumbs, for the coating. The flakier texture is the whole point of the crisp exterior.
Variations
- Swap lime juice for lemon and skip the fish sauce for a more classic Maryland-style profile.
- Serve with a smoky remoulade or a simple tartar sauce for dipping.
- Use Old Bay seasoning in place of Tabasco for a more traditional Chesapeake flavor.
Ingredients
Directions
Pre-heat the oven to 350℉ (180℃).
In a sauce pan over medium heat, place the oil, onions and peppers, and simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 7 minutes.
Combine the 3 egg yolks, lime juice, mustard, Tabasco, fish sauce in a large bowl.
Remove the oil and vegetables from the heat.
Slowly pour into the yolk mixture, whisking constantly.
Begin by pouring with small splashes, incorporating the oil completely before adding more.
The heat of the oil will cook the yolks as you go, and you should end up with a hollandaise-like sauce when all the oil has been blended.
Return the saucepan to the heat for 30 seconds, whisking constantly to insure that sauce is fully incorporated.
Set the saucepan down over a bowl of ice and whisk to cook quickly.
Refrigerate the sauce covered, until it is well-chilled.
With the machine running, add the oil in a slow stream until the sauce is emulsified.
Taste. Add more oil if necessary. Reserve.
Make the crab cakes: Pick over crab meat to remove any shell pieces.
Add the herbs and gently toss, taking care not to break up the crab.
Add two or three heaping tablespoons of the chilled sauce base to the crab and gently combine.
Add enough of the bread crumbs to bind the crab mixture.
Check to see that the mixture is moist (the bread crumbs will absorb moisture as the crab mix sits) and add more sauce or bread crumbs as needed.
Add the white pepper and taste for seasoning.
Form the crab into little cakes, about 2 inches in diameter.
In a separate bowl, beat the eggs.
One at a time, coat each crab cake with egg.
Then coat with Japanese bread crumbs.
Heat ¼ of vegetable oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat.
SautJing in batches, brown the crab cakes on both sides and reserve on a platter.
Place in a pre-heated 350℉ (180℃) oven for 2 to 3 minutes to heat through, and serve.
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