Homemade crab cakes are always guest-pleasers, and they come together quickly and easily without many ingredients. Most recipes call for lump crabmeat only, but you can make delicious, eye-catching cakes with claw meat or a mixture of both—and claw meat is typically nearly half the cost of lump meat alone. Shred any pieces of whole claw meat with your fingers. It’s easy to do, and will bind well to form the cakes.
The aioli sauce in this recipe is also simple to prepare, and it provides a fresh, cool lemony-orange flavor to complement the spicy richness of the crab cakes.
Spicy Crab Cake Appetizers with Lemon-Orange Aioli
Makes 10 Crab Cake Appetizers
Ingredients
For the Lemon-Orange Aioli
- 1/2 cup light mayonnaise
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp grated lemon zest
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tbsp grated orange zest
- 1 tbsp fresh orange juice
- 1 garlic clove, peeled
- sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper
For the Crab Cakes
- 1 lb crab meat, lump, claw, or a mixture, picked over
- 2 cayenne chiles, stemmed, seeded, and finely chopped
- 1 small scallion, finely chopped
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 tsp chile powder
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 cup panko or other fine, dry breadcrumbs
- sea salt
- 3 tbsp olive oil
Preparation
For the Lemon-Orange Aioli
- Combine the first 6 ingredients (through orange juice) in a small bowl.
- Smash the garlic clove on a cutting board with the side of a knife blade and sprinkle with salt. Finely chop the garlic and salt together and stir into the mayo mixture. Season with black pepper.
- Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. May be made 1 day ahead.
For the Crab Cakes
- Combine the first 7 ingredients (through panko) in a medium bowl and season with salt.
- Divide the mixture into 10 small crab cakes, about 2 inches in diameter, and place on a platter or plate. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 30 minutes. May be made 1 day ahead.
- Heat a large, nonstick skillet over medium heat and add the olive oil. Add the crab cakes and cook until golden brown and just cooked through, 2-3 minutes per side.
- Plate the crab cakes and drizzle with lemon-orange aioli, or serve the aioli in a bowl alongside.
For another fishcake idea, double the amount in this recipe for salmon cakes with horseradish-dill sauce and divide into 10-12 small cakes. For your vegetarian guests, try cracker-crusted eggplant with a honey drizzle or fried plantains with sea salt and brown sugar.
Pamela Steed Hill - Pamela Steed Hill is an editor, freelance writer, and home cook. She has published over 250 food articles and recipes online.
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