Saltine-Crusted Bite-Size Crabcakes with Jalapeño Tartar Sauce
Photo by Erin Kunkel. ©2022 by Mary Heffernan. Excerpted from Five Marys Family Style by permission of Sasquatch Books.
“My grandfather loved to host and cook for big family events,” writes Mary Heffernan, of Five Marys Ranch in California. “He always served cracked crab with a mayonnaise-based sauce and hot crusty sourdough on Christmas Eve, starting with the fresh crab he’d buy live at the fish market. It doesn’t get more San Francisco than that! We still do this every year, with my dad carrying on the tradition. The girls delight in the sight of live crabs in a cooler before dinner, and we always prepare enough to have plenty of leftover crab meat for a Christmas Day seafood appetizer—like these crabcakes, made with plenty of fresh Dungeness crab. They’re the ideal handheld make-ahead bites for a special occasion.”
Tip: To make the cracker crumbs, put the saltines in a large resealable bag, close it, and use a rolling pin or wine bottle to roll them until well crushed (but not totally powdered).
Makes 3 dozen crabcakes plus 1 1⁄2 cups tartar sauce.
This recipe and others like it can be found in the article “This Holiday Menu Is So Classic You Might Start Making It Every Year.”
How to Make It
1
Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
2
Make the crabcakes: In a medium skillet, melt 2 tbsp. of the butter over medium heat until foamy. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes, until translucent. Add the garlic and stir for about 15 seconds, then transfer the mixture to a medium mixing bowl. Add the crab, 1⁄2 cup of the cracker crumbs, the eggs, Old Bay, salt, and pepper, and stir until well blended.
3
Put the remaining 3⁄4 cup cracker crumbs in a small bowl. Using a tablespoon, form the crab mixture into 36 balls, each about a packed tablespoon’s worth. Working with one ball at a time, flatten each into a roughly 1 1⁄2-inch-wide and 3⁄4-inch-thick disc, then dip it in the cracker crumbs on all sides and transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining balls and crumbs. (The crabcakes can be made to this point and refrigerated, covered, for up to 24 hours, or you can freeze them directly on the baking sheet, then pack them into an airtight container and freeze for up to 1 month.)
4
Brush the crabcakes all over with the remaining 4 tbsp. melted butter, then bake for 15 minutes (or slightly longer from frozen), or until well toasted.
5
Meanwhile, make the tartar sauce: In a small mixing bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, jalapeño, onion, cornichons, capers, lemon zest and juice, and salt and pepper to taste until well blended. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve, or for up to 3 days.
6
Serve the crabcakes warm or at room temperature, with the tartar sauce dolloped on top or served alongside for dipping. (Cooled crabcakes can be refrigerated for up to 3 days and reheated for 5 minutes in a 425°F oven before serving.)
Ingredients
FOR THE CRABCAKES
6 tbsp unsalted butter, melted, divided
½ cup finely chopped yellow onion
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 lb fresh Dungeness crab meat, flaked
1 ¼ cups saltine-cracker crumbs (from about 35 crackers), divided
2 large eggs, beaten
1 ½ tsp Old Bay seasoning
¾ tsp kosher salt
¼ tsp black pepper, freshly ground
FOR THE TARTAR SAUCE
1 cup mayonnaise
1 jalapeño (small or large, depending on how much spice you like), finely chopped
2 tbsp finely chopped yellow onion
1 tbsp diced cornichons or dill pickles
1 tbsp capers, finely chopped
zest and juice of 1 medium lemon (about 1 tsp. zest plus 2 tbsp. juice)
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions
1
Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
2
Make the crabcakes: In a medium skillet, melt 2 tbsp. of the butter over medium heat until foamy. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes, until translucent. Add the garlic and stir for about 15 seconds, then transfer the mixture to a medium mixing bowl. Add the crab, 1⁄2 cup of the cracker crumbs, the eggs, Old Bay, salt, and pepper, and stir until well blended.
3
Put the remaining 3⁄4 cup cracker crumbs in a small bowl. Using a tablespoon, form the crab mixture into 36 balls, each about a packed tablespoon’s worth. Working with one ball at a time, flatten each into a roughly 1 1⁄2-inch-wide and 3⁄4-inch-thick disc, then dip it in the cracker crumbs on all sides and transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining balls and crumbs. (The crabcakes can be made to this point and refrigerated, covered, for up to 24 hours, or you can freeze them directly on the baking sheet, then pack them into an airtight container and freeze for up to 1 month.)
4
Brush the crabcakes all over with the remaining 4 tbsp. melted butter, then bake for 15 minutes (or slightly longer from frozen), or until well toasted.
5
Meanwhile, make the tartar sauce: In a small mixing bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, jalapeño, onion, cornichons, capers, lemon zest and juice, and salt and pepper to taste until well blended. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve, or for up to 3 days.
6
Serve the crabcakes warm or at room temperature, with the tartar sauce dolloped on top or served alongside for dipping. (Cooled crabcakes can be refrigerated for up to 3 days and reheated for 5 minutes in a 425°F oven before serving.)
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