Pan-Fried Lump Crab Cakes + Spicy Remoulade

Holy crab!! I’m a crab cake girl through and through. If they’re on the menu, they’re mine. I like ’em big and and I like ’em lumpy. Hold the filler, hold the outer breading and give me pan fried and a delicious remoulade, please!! I feel like I’ve spent a good portion of my life…

Eating crab cakes that it makes me at worst a connoisseur, at best a PhD in the science behind these little patties of joy. I have the kind of expertise that only comes from hours of pouring oneself into a topic, knowing every detail, every tasty nook, every flavor possibility. Blah, ok, maybe that’s a bit much. Maybe.

Ok, I need to be straight with you for a second. There was one time I passed up a crab cake. I was sixteen and had my first boyfriend. My mom had bought the most amazing crab cakes (my favorite brand at the time) for dinner. Problem was, said boyfriend was coming over post-dinner to hang and I was convinced the crabbiness would linger and the smell would be irreversible. Crab cakes did not provide the minty freshness I was going for no matter how many times I brushed my teeth. So, I said “Sorry mom, I’m not in the mood for a crab cake,” acting as casual about it as possible. I ate something I deemed less smelly and have regretted it ever since. Boyfriends come and go, crab cake memories are forever.

Moral of the the story is was “Crab lumps before humps” but Jaryd just nixed that motto and said it was a bit of a stretch. For the record, there was zero humping, everything G rated, I swear!

But seriously, crab cakes are where it’s at. Only problem is you need to find a recipe that keeps the lumps and cakes in tact, while minimizing the binding filler. Plus you need some tasty flavor!! Well let me say this, and I’m not just saying this to say it, or saying it because this is my blog and a recipe I’m publishing. I’m saying it because I one hundred percent mean it. This is the best crab cake I’ve ever had and and AND this crab cake will now be the gold standard that I compare all other crab cakes to.

So there it is.

I know this recipe has a lot of ingredients, but it really only has a few steps to the whole shebang. Ok, now on to the how of this whole process. Here’s what you do:

In a food processor, combine all the remoulade ingredients. Blend until combined. Place in a container and set it aside in the fridge until you are ready for serving.

In a small bowl, place the arrowroot flour, Old Bay seasoning, dry ground mustard, and salt. Stir to mix it all together and set aside.

In a larger bowl, place the egg, mayo, and Worcestershire. Whisk to combine.

Gently fold the dry ingredients into the egg mixture.

Mix in the peppers and scallion.

Finally, fold in the lump crab as gently as possible. Folding it in gingerly allows the lumps to stay in tact. Gently gently gently! Place in the fridge for about an hour.

Drop some coconut oil in a skillet over high heat until the oil is hot. Keep heat at medium high and place two crab balls into the pan. You may need to re-shape them into balls before cooking them. Most of mine stayed in tact, but one or two needed some lumps pressed back in. Just re-shape them with your hands if needed.

Let the ball fry for about a minute. Then, with the bottom side of your spatula, slowly press the ball down to create a cake. Fry for a couple more minutes, and then gently flip.

If you haven’t noticed, the buzzword for this recipe is GENTLY.

Fry the other side for a few minutes and then remove from the pan onto a plate lined with a paper towel. Follow this process for the remaining crab balls.

This makes six large crab cakes.