Ultimate Crabcakes
Photo: Alex Farnum; Styling: Randy Mon
Time: 40 minutes. Frederick Basgal of Menlo Park, California, a stellar home cook, shares with us his extravagant recipe for crabcakes loaded with seafood, plus bright chives and a tiny dice of bell peppers. His inspiration? A crabcake recipe in Hubert Keller’s The Cuisine of Hubert Keller (Ten Speed Press, 1996) for binding the crab with a creamy scallop purée rather than bread crumbs.
This recipe, and others like it, can be found in the article “It’s Officially Dungeness Crab Season—Check out These 22 Recipes and Get Crackin’.”
How to Make It
Step 1
1
In a food processor, pulse scallops and egg just until scallops are chopped. With motor running, pour in cream and whirl until smooth.
Step 2
2
Scrape scallop mixture into a bowl. Stir in crab, bell peppers, cilantro, 2 tbsp. chives, the hot sauce, salt, and cayenne, breaking up most large chunks of crab.
Step 3
3
Lay an 18-in. sheet of parchment paper on a work surface. Scoop 6 equal mounds of crab mixture onto parchment. Shape each into an even cake about 1 1/4 in. thick, using your fingers or, for neater sides, a 2 1/2-in.-diameter ring mold.
Step 4
4
Pour olive oil into a 12-in. nonstick frying pan and heat over medium-low heat. Using a thin, flexible spatula, carefully transfer cakes to pan. Cook, turning once, until nicely browned and no longer wet in center, about 10 minutes total. Divide crabcakes among 6 warm plates, scatter with remaining 1 tbsp. chives, and serve with Devil Sauce.
Step 5
5
Note: Nutritional analysis is per serving, without sauce.
Ingredients
4 ounces sea scallops
2 tablespoons lightly beaten egg
3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
1 pound (3 cups) shelled cooked crab
2 tablespoons diced (1/4 in.) red bell pepper
2 tablespoons diced (1/4 in.) yellow bell pepper
2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro
3 tablespoons finely chopped chives, divided
2 teaspoons green hot sauce, such as Tabasco
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
2 tablespoons olive oil
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