A few months ago, a Chef friend came over and cooked a little dinner party for some close friends (read about it here). One of her courses included the best damn crab cakes I’ve ever had. They’re actually a bit more of a crab pancake, leaning toward the egg foo yung side of the spectrum, but the flavor and texture make for a pure crab eating experience that you’ve likely never had before. This may be the last crab cake recipe you’ll ever need – it’s easy and quick with an Asian flair and suitable for tweaking of the recipe to whatever your desired tastes are.
This recipe happens to be gluten free, but can be made with ready-at-hand standard ingredients by substituting corn starch for tapioca flour and all purpose flour for the almond flour. I prefer the texture of the almond flour in this one, though, regardless of the gluten benefits. It has a bit of a nuttier flavor and firmer texture than all purpose flour.
I’ve also added a lobster foo yung sauce that is optional. It only takes 5 minutes to make and can have a great influence on the dish. I like my sauce leaning a bit more toward the peppery, vinegary side, but it can also be tweaked to match your tastes and accompanying courses.
- 1 lb lump Crab Meat (picked over for shell remnants)
- 5 Eggs
- 2 tbsp Fresh cilantro (chopped)
- 2 tbsp Scallions (thinly sliced)
- 2 Garlic Cloves (pressed)
- 1 tsp fresh grated ginger
- 1 tbsp Chinese mustard powder
- 1 tsp white pepper
- Pink Salt & Fresh Cracked Black Pepper (to taste)
- 2 tbs Tapioca Flour
- ½ cup Almond Flour
- 3 tbsp Ghee or clarified butter (for frying)
- Togarashi (for garnish)
Sauce (optional)
- 1½ cups lobster, seafood or chicken stock
- 1 tbsp distilled vinegar
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon white pepper
- 1 tbsp corn starch
- Scramble eggs in a bowl large enough to hold all ingredients. Fold in cilantro, scallions, garlic, ginger, mustard, pepper and flour until well combined. Gently fold in crab meat so as not to break up lumps.
- Heat large frying pan on medium high heat. Add about a tbsp of ghee/clarified butter to well coat bottom of the pan. Add crab cake mix by the spoonful (approx 1½ - 2 tbsp) and press slightly (don't over-flatten). Fry on each side until lightly golden and slightly crispy, about 5 minutes each side. Repeat until all crab cake mix is prepared.
- For sauce, combine all ingredients and simmer over medium low heat until thickened. The sauce should be about the consistency of a light gravy. Adjust seasoning levels to desired tastes. Enjoy, and Cheers, my friends!
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