I can’t stand it when I order crab cakes at a nice restaurant and, instead, I’m served a crab-flavored bread patty. These crab cakes are seriously crab-centric, with just enough filler to add flavor and style. Plus, there’s no frying involved! Beat that, Long John Silver.
Total Kitchen Time: 35 Mins
Makes: 15 large crustacean burgers
Shopping List:
- 2 lbs crab claw meat (yeah, that’s a lot of crab)
- 1 papaya, finely diced
- 1 red bell pepper, finely diced
- 1 yellow bell pepper, finely diced
- 1/2 yellow onion, finely diced
- 1/4 cup chives, finely chopped
- 3 cups panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
- 3/4 cup olive oil
- 1 tsp red cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp paprika
- salt and pepper to taste
- Preheat your oven to 425F and adjust the rack to the middle position.
- Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil and grease with non-stick cooking spray. The foil is an insurance policy against clingy crab cakes.
- Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. There, wasn’t that easy?
- Form the crab into patties. I like to use a mold, such as a pastry ring (or the inner sleeve of my potato ricer) to shape the patties. Make sure that you press them down tightly since we’re not using egg to bind the cakes together.
- Bake at 425 for 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool at least 5 minutes before transferring to plates.
Crab pairs very well with tropical fruit flavors. Here we’ve used papaya, but there’s no reason you couldn’t also add mango, kiwi or even coconut. Or, whip up some guacamole and spoon right on top.