the nest jumbo lump crab cakes
Jumbo lump crab cakes was the birthday dinner request from my husband this year so I thought I’d give them a shot and WHOA, did they turn out AMAZING.
A perfect crab cake in my book are thick and crispy with a punch of flavor that doesn’t take away from the decadent large clumps of crab. These are filled with a variety of sautéed veggies, old bay seasoning, hot pepper sauce and herbs. They went over SO well that I even got the compliment of “the best crab cakes I’ve ever had”!
Recipe by: The Culinary Nest
MAKES
8-10 crab cakes
Prep Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium red onion, diced fine
1 medium orange or yellow pepper, diced fine
1 medium red pepper, diced fine
4 celery stalks, diced fine
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (I recommend Tabasco)
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons crab boil seasoning (I recommend Old Bay)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 (16oz.) can jumbo lump crab, drained and checked for shells
3/4 cup plain dry breadcrumbs
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup olive oil for frying, plus more if needed
Optional: remoulade or tartar sauce and lemon wedges for serving
METHOD
In a large sauté pan over medium-low heat, add the 2 tablespoons butter and olive oil, red onion, celery, orange and red bell peppers, parsley, hot pepper sauce, Worcestershire, crab boil seasoning, salt and pepper. Cook until the vegetables are soft, stirring occasionally, about 20-25 minutes. Once the vegetables are completely cooked down (when you take a bite, there is no crispness to them anymore) place them in a medium bowl and set aside and cool to room temperature, about 20 minutes.
In a large bowl add the lump crab meat, dry breadcrumbs, mayonnaise, dijon mustard and eggs. Toss these ingredients together until just combined. Add the cooled vegetable mixture and gently mix until incorporated (I try not to mix aggressively to maintain the texture of the lump crab).
Lay down a baking sheet and line with parchment paper if desired. Take about a handful of the crab mixture and carefully form a ball (about 1/2 cup of mixture) and place on the baking sheet. Repeat this until all the mixture is formed into 8-10 crab cakes evenly distributed on the baking sheet. Taking the palm of your hand, gently press each crab cake down to a thickness of about 1-1 1/2 inches. Cover the baking sheet with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30-45 minutes to chill. This will help hold the crab cakes together when they are sautéed.
In a large sauté pan over medium heat, add the 1/4 cup of oil. Once heated carefully place 4-5 crab cakes in the pan and sauté each side about 4-5 minutes or until golden brown. Remove and repeat this step (only adding more oil if needed) with the rest of the crab cakes. If you would like to prepare these ahead of time, you can place the cooked crab cakes back onto the baking sheet and place in a 225˚ oven until ready to serve.
Enjoy with your favorite remoulade or tartar sauce along with lemon wedges if desired!
