Crisp Cayenne-Spiced Crab Cakes
Recipe from Food & Wine

Growing up in Silver Spring, Maryland, cooking-club member DeeAnn Budney attended all-day Chesapeake blue crab feasts organized by the Veterans of Foreign Wars. Now that she lives on the West Coast, she makes these fantastically spicy crab cakes with sweet Dungeness crab meat, but either kind works.


Crisp Cayenne-Spiced Crab Cakes
Lucy Schaeffer

not yet rated


add your rating
add a comment
Servings: 12
Prep Time: 1 hr
Total Time: 2 hrs 15 mins
 
savings in
 
Ingredients
BREAD CRUMB COATING
  • 3  slices
    soft white sandwich bread, crusts removed and bread cut into 1-inch pieces
    see savings
    On Sale
  • 2  tablespoons
    chopped parsley
    see savings
    On Sale
  • 3/4  teaspoon
    cayenne pepper
    see savings
    On Sale
  • 1  teaspoon
    Old Bay seasoning
    see savings
    On Sale
  • 1  teaspoon
    baking powder
    see savings
    On Sale
CRAB CAKES
  • 2 1/2  tablespoons
    unsalted butter
    see savings
    On Sale
  • 1/4  cup
    finely diced red bell pepper
    see savings
    On Sale
  • 1/4  cup
    finely diced shallots
    see savings
    On Sale
  • eggs, lightly beaten
    see savings
    On Sale
  • 2  tablespoons
    chopped parsley leaves
    see savings
    On Sale
  • 2  tablespoons
    Worcestershire sauce
    see savings
    On Sale
  • 1  tablespoon
    Old Bay seasoning
    see savings
    On Sale
  • 1  tablespoon
    Dijon mustard
    see savings
    On Sale
  • 1  teaspoon
    cayenne pepper
    see savings
    On Sale
  • 1  teaspoon
    baking powder
    see savings
    On Sale
  • 1/4  teaspoon
    salt
    see savings
    On Sale
  • 2  pounds
    lump crabmeat, drained and picked over
    see savings
    On Sale
  • 2  slices
    soft white sandwich bread, crusts removed and bread cut into 1/4-inch cubes
    see savings
    On Sale
  • 3  tablespoons
    olive oil
    see savings
    On Sale
  •  
    Lemon wedges, for serving
    see savings
    On Sale

Directions
1.
In a food processor, pulse the bread with the parsley, cayenne, Old Bay, and baking powder until fine crumbs form. Transfer the crumbs to a medium bowl.
2.
In a small skillet, melt 1/2 tablespoon of the butter. Add the red bell pepper and shallots and cook over moderately high heat until softened, about 3 minutes. Let cool to room temperature, then transfer to a large bowl. Add the eggs, parsley, Worcestershire, Old Bay, mustard, cayenne, baking powder, and salt and stir well to blend. Add the crabmeat and the bread cubes to the bowl and toss gently until evenly combined.
3.
Form the crab mixture into 24 small patties, using 1/4 cup per patty. Squeeze to wring out any excess liquid. Roll the crab cakes in the bread crumb coating and arrange them on a large rimmed baking sheet. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, until thoroughly chilled.
4.
In a large skillet, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter in the olive oil. Working in batches, cook the crab cakes over moderately high heat, turning once, until golden brown and crisp, about 10 minutes per batch. Serve the crab cakes with lemon wedges.

Add Your Review
Related Recipe
Pretzel-Crusted Crab Cakes
Pretzel-Crusted Crab Cakes

Instead of bread crumbs, chef Stephanie Sokolove uses crushed pretzels to bind and crust her chunky crab cakes. She sometimes bakes them in her outdoor oven.

 Articles
Crab-Cake Burgers: 30-Minute Meal
...Order crab cakes at many restaurants and you get what could more likely be called a bread cake.... There's more breading and other fillers than there is actual crabmeat. And the crab cakes are typically... the crab cake burger you cook yourself, a hearty patty packed with crab, moist with mayonnaise... read more...
Bittersweet Bliss: Strawberry-Rhubarb Crisp
...Few desserts signal the arrival of spring quite like a sweet-tart Strawberry-Rhubarb Crisp or pie... only half of the stalks. With them, I made a tart, a crisp, and a batch of strawberry-rhubarb jam. All... for celebration (I kept my plant alive!). Sounds like the perfect time for a Strawberry-Rhubarb Crisp. rhubarb... read more...
Heavenly Angel Food Cake
... what was baking. "Angel food cake," he quickly replied. Of course! It couldn't have been anything else.... I remembered those cakes of my childhood, when my mom would pull her angel food cake out of the oven... and, to allow it to cool, inverted it (cake tin and all) over the neck of a bottle of Lea & Perrins... read more...