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Best Crab Cakes

Mexican Crab Cakes with Serrano Cream

September 7, 2021 by Tamara Giebel Leave a Comment

Mexican Crab Cakes with Serrano Cream use rich, buttery, Dungeness crab and just enough Panko with a creamy serrano cilantro lime sauce.

Crab cakes are so versatile. Pairing crab with end of summer vegetables like corn and zucchini makes for a seasonal favorite. I tend to pick up on the Mexican inspired flavor with almost every dish I make. I like the bright, colorful ingredients and love the spice.

This recipe calls for Dungeness crab, local to the Pacific Northwest. It’s a rich, buttery, dense meat. I have been known to eat an entire bowl of shelled Dungeness crab all to myself. It’s memories for me. We would spend the weekends crabbing and fishing in the San Juan Islands. Bringing home our catch, there were crab to shell and fish to fillet. My love for seafood started young and continues into my passion for cooking and sharing recipes with you.

Ingredients in Mexican Crab Cakes with Serrano Cream

  • Dungeness Crab – Rich, buttery crab shelled and all juices gently squeezed out.
  • Corn on the Cob – Yellow for color, cut off the cob.
  • Zucchini – Small fresh zucchini.
  • Panko Bread Crumbs – Plain Panko bread crumbs are light and crispy.
  • Red Bell Pepper – Adds that little bit of texture and color.
  • Celery – Fine diced celery adds a fresh flavor.
  • Green Onion – a.k.a. scallions
  • Garlic – I keep a bottle of minced garlic in my refrigerator.
  • Serrano Pepper – Serrano has a similar heat to jalapeno, but more flavor.
  • Sour Cream – Either sour cream or Mexican Crema would work.
  • Cilantro – Fresh cilantro.
  • Lime – Fresh squeezable lime.
  • Avocado – Just ripe and ready to slice.
  • Spices – Chipotle powder, salt and pepper
  • Pantry Items – Agave nectar, mayonnaise, avocado oil
Mexican Crab Cakes with Serrano Cream use rich, buttery, Dungeness crab and just enough Panko with a creamy serrano cilantro lime sauce.

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Mexican Crab Cakes with Serrano Cream use rich, buttery, Dungeness crab and just enough Panko with a creamy serrano cilantro lime sauce.

Mexican Crab Cakes with Serrano Cream

Mexican Crab Cakes with Serrano Cream use rich, buttery, Dungeness crab and just enough Panko with a creamy serrano cilantro lime sauce.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 mins
Cook Time 10 mins
Resting time 1 hr
Course Appetizer, Main Course
Cuisine Mexican, PNW
Servings 4 crab cakes

Ingredients
  

  • 1/2 lb. Dungeness lump crab meat
  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise
  • 1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs
  • 1 tsp green onion minced
  • 1/4 cup red bell pepper diced
  • 1/8 cup celery minced
  • 1/4 tsp minced garlic
  • salt and pepper
  • 1 1/2 tbsp. butter
  • 1 tbsp. avocado oil

Serrano Cream

  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 1 serrano pepper diced
  • 1/4 cup fresh cilantro
  • 1 tsp. minced garlic
  • 1 lime juiced and zested
  • 1 tsp. agave nectar

Garnish

  • 1 ear yellow corn cut off the cob
  • 1 cup zucchini diced
  • 1 pinch chipotle or cayenne powder
  • 1/2 tbsp. avocado oil
  • salt and pepper
  • 1 tbsp. fresh cilantro chopped
  • 1/2 avocado sliced

Instructions
 

Crab Cakes

  • Gather lump crab meat in a paper towel and squeeze out excess moisture. Place lump crab meat in a mixing bowl with mayonnaise, Panko bread crumbs and green onion.
  • Sauté red bell pepper, celery and garlic in 1/2 tbsp. butter over medium high heat for about 1 minute, until just softened. Remove from heat and let cool, then add to lump crab mixture. Season with salt and pepper.
  • Gently combine ingredients, making sure not to over mix. You want the lump crab to remain in lump form. When combined, form into 4 even patties. Place on a plate, cover with saran wrap and refrigerate at least an hour, preferably overnight.
  • When ready to cook, pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Remove crab cakes from refrigerator and let rest while you heat your sauté pan to medium high. Add avocado oil to pan and let warm. Place crab cakes in pan and brown for about 2 1/2 minutes on each side, adding remaining 1 tbsp. butter to pan after flipping to second side. Remove from sauté pan, place on sheet pan and bake in oven for about 5 minutes while you make serrano cream and garnish.

Serrano Cream

  • Add all ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth and creamy.

Garnish

  • Sauté zucchini and corn in avocado oil a small pan over medium high heat for about 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat, season with salt, pepper and chipotle powder. Toss in cilantro.
  • Plate crab cakes over a spoonful of Serrano Cream with garnish of zucchini and corn on top. Place sliced avocado on top of that.
Keyword Crispy Crab Cakes, Dungeness crab, Easy Crab Cakes

Filed Under: Mexican, Seafood Tagged With: Best Crab Cakes, Crispy Crab Cakes, Dungeness Crab Cakes

The Best Dungeness Crab Cakes

December 29, 2020 by Tamara Giebel Leave a Comment

The Best Dungeness Crab Cakes are packed full of delicious Dungeness crab, a little minced celery, red bell pepper and Panko breadcrumbs.

The best crab cakes have just enough breadcrumbs to hold together the Dungeness crab meat, giving you the full flavor of rich, buttery crab. Packed full of jumbo lump meat that you can see and taste with every bite.

Perfect bite sized as an appetizer. Pair with your favorite dipping sauce like spicy sweet chili sauce, roasted pineapple and habanero or more of a traditional creamy dill sauce. These Dungeness Crab Cakes will disappear at your next party.

For a dinner entrée, I like to serve full size Dungeness Crab Cakes over creamy mashed potatoes topped with sautéed fresh corn off the cob and sugar snap peas. For an Asian inspired twist, serve with sautéed baby bok choy and hoisin sauce.

Dungeness Crab Cakes can be frozen, if desired. Place a small piece of parchment paper between the cakes and freeze in a Ziplock bag. Although, I truly believe fresh is best, sometimes it’s good to have a few frozen items for those emergency situations.

Ingredients

  • Dungeness Crab – Fresh Dungeness crab is found on the west coast and has a rich, buttery taste like no other.
  • Celery – Celery adds a light, fresh taste to the crab cake.
  • Red Bell Pepper – Minced fine, adds color and sweetness.
  • Garlic – One small clove of fresh garlic.
  • Panko Bread Crumbs – Unseasoned Panko is light and adds just enough to bind the Dungeness crab together.
  • Mayonnaise – Plain old regular mayonnaise.

Preparation

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Gently fold ingredients together in a large bowl.
  3. Form into either 8 large or 16 mini balls and then press to cake shape.
  4. Place crab cakes on a sheet pan and refrigerate for 15 minutes.
  5. Place pan over medium heat, add oil and brown each side of crab cake.
  6. Remove to sheet pan and place in oven to finish cooking for another 5-10 minutes.
  7. Serve with your favorite dipping sauce or with lemon wedges.
Rich, buttery, Dungeness Crab Cakes are crispy on the outside and flavorful on the inside packed with fresh lump meat, minced celery and red bell pepper.

Dungeness Crab Cakes

Rich, buttery, Dungeness Crab Cakes are crispy on the outside and flavorful on the inside packed with fresh lump meat, minced celery and red bell pepper.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 10 mins
Course Appetizer, Main Course
Cuisine Farm to Table, Seafood

Ingredients
  

  • 1 lb. Dungeness crab cleaned and shelled
  • 1/2 cup celery minced
  • 1/4 cup red bell pepper minced
  • 1 clove garlic minced
  • 1 1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs
  • 3 tbsp. mayonnaise
  • 2 tbsp. cooking oil

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees
  • Gently mix Dungeness crab, celery, red bell pepper, garlic, Panko bread crumbs and mayonnaise together.
  • Form into either 8 large crab cakes or 16 mini appetizer crab cakes. Cup together in your hands to form a ball first, to make sure all ingredients stick together. Now press out gently to round shape. This recipe uses the least amount of filler possible, so you really want these crab cakes to form a nice shape before cooking.
  • Place crab cakes on a sheet pan and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes to set ingredients.
  • In a large sauté pan over medium heat, cook crab cakes in oil on each side until browned. Work in batches to ensure even cooking.
  • Place browned crab cakes on sheet pan in 350 degree oven for 5-10 minutes to continue cooking.
Keyword Best Crab Cakes, Easy Appetizer

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Filed Under: Appetizers, Seafood Tagged With: Best Crab Cakes, New Years Appetizer, Party Food

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OUT WEST:  Food & Lifestyle celebrates life in the west, from the freshest coastal seafood to local grown vegetables and small farmed meats. We focus on locally sourced ingredients and seasonal recipes to inspire you to cook at home.   It’s important to know where your food comes from, bridging the gap between farm to table, and creating a small carbon footprint.

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