Thick crab cakes, mostly crab and very little filler, coated in fine breadcrumbs and fried until deep golden brown. Chilling the mixture before frying is what keeps them from falling apart in the pan. Serve on crisp lettuce with lemon wedges and a fine sprig of dill.
Ingredients
Crab cakes
- 320 g crab meat (two 160 g tins), well drained
- 1 egg
- 3 tbsp mayonnaise
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- Zest of 1 lemon and 1 tbsp of its juice
- 40 g fine dry breadcrumbs, for the mixture
- 2 spring onions, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp chopped parsley
- 1/4 tsp salt and a pinch of black pepper
- 60 g fine dry breadcrumbs, for coating
- 3 tbsp oil or butter for frying
To serve
- Lettuce leaves
- Lemon wedges
- Fresh dill, in fine sprigs
Method
- Stir the egg, mayonnaise, mustard, lemon zest and juice, spring onions, parsley, salt and pepper together in a bowl.
- Gently fold in the drained crab meat and the 40 g of breadcrumbs, keeping the crab in chunky pieces. Don't over-mix.
- Cover and chill for 20 minutes so the mixture firms up.
- Shape into 4 thick patties, about 8 cm wide and 2 cm thick. Press each one into the 60 g of breadcrumbs so both faces and the edges are fully coated.
- Fry in hot oil or butter over medium heat for 4-5 minutes on each side, turning once, until deep golden brown and hot all the way through. Drain on paper and let them rest for a couple of minutes.
- Serve on lettuce with lemon wedges and a sprig of dill on top of each cake.
Tip: Drain the crab as dry as you can, and keep the heat at medium: the crust browns evenly without burning and the cakes cook through.