Crunchy Crab Cakes with Lemon Butter Sauce
Crab, cake, lemon and butter sauce: this is a firm favorite with customers when we put it on the menu. The recipe is from my home kitchen book, which, as always, includes a wonderful pic.
Ingredients · Servings 4
- 300 gr potatoes
- rock salt (for baking)
- 200 gr fresh white crabmeat
- 4 spring onions (finely sliced)
- 1 tsp dill (chopped)
- 1 tbsp small capers
- 1½ tbsp gherkins (chopped)
- 100 gr plain flour
- 2 free-range eggs (beaten with a splash of milk)
- 150 gr panko breadcrumbs
- oil (for deep frying)
- sea salt
- black pepper (freshly ground)
- 2 small shallots (peeled and finely chopped)
- 1 clove garlic (peeled and finely chopped)
- 1 stem lemongrass (tough outer layers removed, finely sliced)
- 100 ml white wine
- 50 ml double cream
- 250 gr unsalted butter (in small pieces)
- 10 basil leaves (finely sliced)
Method · 1 h 35 min
- Preheat your oven to 200°C/ 392 ℉. Place the potatoes on little mounds of rock salt on a baking tray and bake for 50 minutes–1 hour, until cooked.
- Remove and leave for a few minutes until cool enough to handle, then cut the potatoes in half, scoop the flesh out into a bowl, and mash until smooth. Leave to cool.
- Once the mashed potato is cool, add the crabmeat, spring onions, dill, capers, gherkins, and a little salt and pepper. Mix together well then taste to check the seasoning and correct as necessary.
- Divide the crab mixture into 4 equal portions and roll into balls in your hands. Have the flour, beaten eggs, and breadcrumbs ready in 3 separate bowls.
- Pass each crab cake through the flour, then the egg mixture, and, finally, the breadcrumbs to coat evenly. Place in the fridge until ready to cook.
- To make the lemon sauce, put the shallots, garlic, lemongrass, and wine in a pan and cook until the wine has almost totally reduced.
- Add the cream and turn the heat down low.
- Now add the butter, piece by piece, whisking all the time; do not allow the sauce to boil or it will split. Once all the butter is incorporated, season with salt and pepper to taste. Strain the sauce through a sieve into a bowl and cover the surface with cling film or baking parchment to prevent a skin forming. Keep warm.
- Heat the oil in a deep-fryer or other suitable deep, heavy-based pan to 170 °C/ 338 ℉. Lower the crab cakes into the hot oil and fry for 3–4 minutes until golden and cooked through.
- Meanwhile, gently warm the sauce and add the sliced basil.
- Share the sauce between 4 warmed plates or shallow bowls. Carefully lift the crab cakes from the pan, drain on kitchen paper and season with salt. Place a crab cake on each pool of sauce and finish with a drizzle of olive oil. Serve immediately.
These crunchy crab cakes are tasty and adaptable. I sometimes change the herb or add a bit of fish if I am short on crab. The lemon sauce is pretty easy, but you can serve them with mayonnaise if you prefer. Serve the dish as it is for a starter or with a simple salad and some new potatoes on the side for lunch or supper.
