Appetizers / Snacks
Southwestern Crab Cakes with Chipotle-Lime Aioli
With premium canned or pasteurized crabmeat, you don’t have to live on a coast or wait for crab season to enjoy this delicacy — it’s always available and ready to use. Plus, outside a crab boil, you’ll be hard-pressed to tell it apart from fresh. You just won’t have to do any picking!
Start by turning this sweet and succulent seafood into ever-popular crab cakes. Cumin adds a hint of smokiness for a southwestern twist, while bell pepper, corn, and scallions complete the flavor profile. Since crab cakes can be delicate, be sure to chill the mixture twice — before shaping and again after forming.
Ingredients
FOR THE CRAB CAKES, SAUTÉ:
COMBINE:
FOR THE AIOLI, PROCESS:
Instructions
For the crab cakes, sauté bell pepper, corn, scallions, and jalapeño in 1 Tbsp. oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until softened, 5 minutes; cool slightly.
Combine vegetable mixture, ¼ cup panko, egg, mayonnaise, cilantro, Old Bay, salt, black pepper, cumin, and coriander. Gently fold in crabmeat until mixture holds together when pressed; chill 30 minutes.
Form crab mixture into eight ¾-inch-thick cakes. Spread remaining panko on a plate and gently press each cake into them, turning to evenly coat. Transfer cakes to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper; chill 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 250°.
For the aioli, process mayonnaise, chipotle, zest, lime juice, and garlic in a food processor until combined; season with salt.
Cook cakes in two batches in a nonstick skillet over medium heat, using 1 Tbsp. oil per batch, until golden brown, 4–5 minutes. Carefully flip cakes and brown 4–5 minutes more. Transfer cakes to a baking sheet and keep warm in the oven. Serve crab cakes with chipotle-lime aioli.
To form equal-sized cakes, a #12 ice cream scoop (⅓ cup) is an ideal tool for measuring the crab mixture.
Try not to handle the cakes too much when coating them, then chill the cakes to help them set up.
Nutritional Facts
Nutritional Facts
Per cake with 2 Tbsp. aioli
Calories: 431
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 40g 61%
Saturated Fat 5g 25%
Cholesterol 79mg 26%
Sodium 508mg 21%
Carbs 9g 3%
Fiber 1g 4%
Protein 9g
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.