Indulge in luxurious healthy crab cakes which you can prep in advance and air-fry them for extra ease and speed (a good old pan works too). Enjoy with a tartare sauce and a simple green salad or fresh coleslaw.
Prep the crab patties and tartare sauce up to a day in advance and reserve in the fridge until you're ready to cook them. For an extra crunch, you can coat the crab cakes in additional panko breadcrumbs before air-frying. Serve the crab cakes with a simple green salad or coleslaw.
Ingredients for 8 crab cakes:
For the crab cakes
- 400g fresh white crab meat
- 40g cream crackers (or panko breadcrumbs work too)
- 1 tbsp parmesan or grana, finely grated
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped curly parsley
- 3 spring onions, finely chopped
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 1 lemon
- 2 tbsp mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp olive oil
For the Tartar Sauce:
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon capers, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon gherkins or pickles, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon fresh dill or parsley, finely chopped
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions:
1. Prep the crab cakes: in a food processor, pulse the cream crackers into crumbs before adding them to a large bowl alongside the white crab meat and all the dry ingredients including the zest of half the lemon. Gently mix everything together, then add the mayonnaise, mustard, 1tbsp lemon juice and beaten egg before mixing together and seasoning with sea salt and black pepper to taste. Shape your cakes into 8 same sized patties, then place them in a deep plate to cover them in cling film and refrigerate for at least an hour.
2. Prep the tartare sauce: In a small bowl, mix the mayonnaise, capers, gherkins or pickles, dijon mustard, lemon juice, and fresh dill or parsley until well combined, then season with sea salt and black pepper to taste and refrigerate until ready to serve
3. Cook your crab cakes: air-fry them at 200°C by lightly greesing your basket before placing your cakes in it and cooking until they are golden and crispy on the outside and cooked through on the inside (about 15 minutes). You can also use a good old pan with the melted butter and olive oil to pan-fry at medium heat for about 3 minutes on each side.
4. Transfer the cooked crab cakes to a plate lined with paper towels to drain any excess oil before plating them with a generous dollop of homemade tartar sauce on the side and lemon wedges for squeezing over the top. Serve the crab cakes with a simple green salad or coleslaw for a complete meal.
5. Enjoy!
