Dungeness Crab Cakes (Gluten Free)

Crab cakes are one of my absolute favorite foods, but one that I can almost never order when we go out to eat or buy pre-made in the grocery store–they all use all-purpose flour or breadcrumbs as a binder. It’s quite unnecessary, and this yummy recipe demonstrates it by using egg as the binder and refrigerating the crab cakes for 15 minutes before frying.

Ingredients

• 3 1/2 ounces sea scallops
• 1 egg
• kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup cream
• 1 pound dungeness crab meat (1 large dungeness crab should produce plenty)
• 2 tablespoons seeded, diced tomato
• 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
• 1 tabelspoon fresh cilantro, minced
• 3 drops tabasco sauce
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

Directions

1. Place the scallops, egg, and salt and pepper in a food processor or blender and pulse until blended.
2. Add cream slowly in a stream until incorporated.
3. Place the blended scallops in a large non-reactive bowl and add crab, tomato, mustard, cilantro, and one tablespoon of the olive oil. Mix gently.
4. Shape the crab blend into paddies that are about 1/4″ thick and 2 1/2″ in diameter. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.
5. Heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Saute the crab cakes for 2 1/2 minutes per side.
6. Drain on paper towels and serve.

How Not to Screw It Up

1. It is possible that you, like me, own a blender or food processor that splashes when opened to add cream. It’s ok to stop the blender, add some of the cream, blend, then repeat. This ensures that it is evenly incorporated.
2. Be patient at let those crab cakes refrigerate for at least 15 minutes. Longer is better. You need time for the egg to set and bind. Otherwise, your cakes will crumble.
3. Medium-high heat is the perfect setting. Lower than that, and you will never crisp the outside of the crab cake. Higher than that, and you will have crispy outside with cold inside. Neither way is desirable for eating. If you err on the wrong side, I think higher is better. Just keep those cakes moving around the pan.
4. Be patient with the oil. Let the pan get hot, than add the oil, and let the oil get hot before you start cooking. Otherwise, your crab cakes will soak up the olive oil instead of cooking in it, and they come out too oily.