Brown Butter Crab Cakes

Essential Emeril
Emeril Lagasse

These crab cakes interested me because they have very little added to them.  A lot of crab cake recipes out there have bread crumbs or some sort of filler added to them which takes away from the taste of the actual crab.  Now in the interest of full disclosure, I will admit that I left out the red bell pepper because I’m not a fan.  But other than that I followed the recipe as it was outlined.  I’m telling ya…  good stuff!  And as an added bonus, for those that are interested, these crab cakes are gluten free.  Anyone that knows me, knows I don’t follow a gluten free diet.  Heck…  I’m Italian, it’s probably against my religion.  🙂   But, for those that do, here’s a tasty option to add to your menus.

I will add that when I fried them they came a little “loose” because I inadvertently bought claw meat as well as the lump crab meat.  The lump crab meat holds the crab cake together much better than the claw meat, so learn from my mistake!  🙂  But I will say that the taste was in no way affected by my mistake.

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Ingredients:
1 pound fresh lump crabmeat
¼ cup finely diced onion
2 tablespoons finely diced red bell pepper
2 tablespoons finely diced celery
1 teaspoon minced garlic
¼ cup (½ stick) unsalted butter
4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1½ teaspoons Old Bay seasoning
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
½ cup canola oil, for frying

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Before cooking

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Line a small baking sheet or platter with parchment, and set aside.

In a medium bowl, pick over the crabmeat and remove any shells or cartilage and set aside.

In an 8-inch sauté pan, combine the onion, bell pepper, celery, garlic, and better.  Over medium-low heat, allow the vegetables to slowly toast in the butter until they are well caramelized and the butter has foamed and begins to brown, 15 to 17 minutes, stirring a few times.  Once the butter has browned, remove the pan from the heat and drizzle with the lemon juice.

Pour the butter and vegetables over the crabmeat,and add the Old Bay and mayonnaise.  Stir well to incorporate the ingredients, making sure the brown butter is spread throughout.  Divide them mixture into 4 equal-sized portions, and firmly shape so they are about the shape and thickness of a hockey puck.  Set them on the prepared baking sheet.  (You can also use a 3-inch mold or biscuit cutter to shape the cakes.  Place the ring on a baking sheet and press mixture firmly into it.)

Once formed, cover the crab cakes with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 2 hours and up to overnight to allow the brown butter to solidify.

Remove the crab cakes from the refrigerator and set a 12-inch sauté pan over medium-low heat.  Heat the oil until hot, then carefully add the crab cakes to the pan, using a flat-edge metal spatula.  Cook until the bottoms are well caramelized and the tops are barely warm, about 5 minutes.  Turn the cakes over and cook for another 4 to 5 minutes, until golden.  Serve immediately.

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It looks like a mess, but it tastes great!