Crab Cakes Recipe -Award Winning Spicy Gourmet Crab Cake Recipe Emerils.

Craving a delicious, restaurant-quality crab cake at home? The secret to truly exceptional crab cakes lies in using fresh, high-quality lump crabmeat and minimizing filler. We've gathered some fantastic recipes, from gourmet options to quick weeknight preparations, that are sure to impress.

Our Go-To Gourmet Crab Cake Recipe

This recipe focuses on letting the sweet crab flavor shine, with just enough binder to hold it together. The key to success is chilling the formed cakes before frying to ensure they hold their shape beautifully.

Ingredients

• 1 lb lump crabmeat (if starting with whole crabs, approximately 1 1/4 lb from two 2 lb crabs)
• 1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter
• 1/2 small onion, chopped
• 1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 Tbsp prepared tartar sauce
• 2 slices firm white sandwich bread, torn into small pieces
• 6 Tbsp fresh breadcrumbs
• Pinch of cayenne pepper (optional, for extra spice)

Instructions

1. Carefully pick through the crabmeat to remove any bits of shell and cartilage, being gentle to keep the lumps intact.
2. In a small skillet, melt 1 Tbsp of butter over medium-high heat. Add the chopped onion and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Cook until the onion is softened, then remove from heat and let it cool.
3. In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, Worcestershire sauce, remaining salt, paprika, pepper, tartar sauce, and the cooled onion mixture.
4. Gently fold in the crabmeat and torn bread. The mixture will be quite wet.
5. Form the mixture into six cakes, each about 3 1/2 inches across and 3/4 inches thick.
6. Line a tray with wax paper large enough to hold the cakes. Sprinkle half of the fresh breadcrumbs onto the paper.
7. Place the crab cakes in a single layer on the prepared tray and sprinkle with the remaining breadcrumbs.
8. Cover loosely with another sheet of wax paper and chill for at least one hour (or up to 4 hours).
9. Melt the remaining 3 Tbsp of butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until the foam subsides.
10. Cook the crab cakes until golden brown, about 3 minutes on each side.