Crab Cakes with Tarragon Aioli
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Crab is my favorite food and I am crazy about crab cakes!
My crab cakes are very simple: crab, scallions, panko, and aioli.
I don’t use a lot of filler because I want to be able to taste the crab.
My local fish store sells fresh jumbo crab meat by the pound.
Be sure to pick through it and remove any shells they missed. You can use pasteurized crab meat if that is all you can find.
Chop the scallions:
And add them to the crab.
Set that in the refrigerator while we make the aioli.
Making aioli may sound intimidating but it’s simple if you have a blender, food processor, or immersion blender.
Ingredients: 2 eggs, 1 lemon, 2-3 cloves of garlic, salt, pepper, extra virgin olive oil, and chopped tarragon:
Mince the garlic:
Sprinkle it with a little course salt and make a paste by smooshing it with the side of your knife.
Add that to the blender with the juice of a lemon:
And the eggs.
Blend until frothy, about 30 seconds.
Now here is the important part. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil.
D R I Z Z L E.
It will all come together into a creamy mixture but ONLY if you take your time with the olive oil.
This is the consistency you’re looking for:
Add salt and pepper to taste, and gently fold in the chopped tarragon.
Feel free to substitute any herb, or none at all. I just love the way tarragon and shellfish compliment each other.
Add some of the aioli to the crab and about 2 handfuls of panko.
You don’t want to drench the crab meat. Add just enough to hold the crab together.
Form the crab mixture into four balls:
Feel free to make more crab cakes by making them smaller.
Press into patties and coat both sides with panko.
Cook them over medium heat in a pan with butter and olive oil.
The crab is already cooked so all you need is about 4-5 minutes on each side.
Flip when you have a beautiful golden crust.
Top the crab cakes with a little more of the Tarragon Aioli and that’s it!
Crab Cakes are so simple and elegant.
It’s the perfect meal for company because you can make them ahead of time and keep them warm in a 200F oven.
But since they’re so simple, you can make them for your family any day of the week!
- 1 lb Crab Meat
- ¼ C Scallions, chopped
- Panko Breadcrumbs
- 2 Eggs
- 1 Lemon, juiced
- 1-3 Cloves of Garlic, minced
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Tarragon, chopped
- 1 T Butter
- Pick through the crab and remove any shells.
- Add the scallions to the crab and put into the refrigerator while you make the aioli.
- Put garlic, lemon juice, and eggs into a food processor or blender.
- Blend until frothy, about 30 seconds.
- Slowly drizzle in the olive oil.
- It will all come together into a creamy mixture but ONLY if you take your time with the olive oil.
- Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Gently fold in the chopped tarragon.
- Add the aioli to the crab and scallions mixture. You don’t want to drench the crab meat. Add just enough to hold the crab together.
- Add a handful of panko and gently combine.
- Form the crab mixture into four balls.
- Press the crab into cakes and coat both sides with panko.
- Heat a pan over medium heat with a tablespoon each of butter and olive oil.
- Cook the crab cakes for about 4-5 minutes on each side.
- Top the crab cakes with a little more of the Tarragon Aioli and serve.