Crab Cakes with Cilantro Butter
Submitted by finch
Restaurant-style crab cakes with red and green bell peppers, seared golden then oven-finished, served on a velvety cilantro butter sauce. A stunning plated seafood main course.
YIELD
10 recipesPREP
15 minCOOK
25 minREADY
40 minThis is the crab cake you order at a white-tablecloth restaurant and then spend weeks trying to recreate at home. Now you’ve got the recipe.
Crab meat studded with sautéed red and green peppers gets formed into thick cakes, seared in olive oil until the crust turns deep gold, then finished in the oven so the center cooks through gently.
The cilantro butter sauce underneath is a classic beurre blanc: white wine and shallot reduced with cream, then enriched tablespoon by tablespoon with unsalted butter until it’s silky, light, and glossy. Fresh cilantro stirred in at the end makes it sing.
Chef Tips
- Shape the cakes with wet hands to keep the mixture from sticking, and chill them before cooking so they hold together in the pan.
- Never let the butter sauce boil after adding the butter. Keep the heat whisper-low and whisk constantly. The moment it boils, it breaks into a greasy mess.
- Sear first, then oven. This two-step method gives you a crisp exterior without overcooking the delicate crab inside.
- Garnish with chopped fresh tomato and cilantro sprigs for color that pops against the golden cake and pale sauce.
Ingredients
Directions
Heat ¼ cup of the oil in a large skillet; cook red and green peppers in the oil until tender, 3 to 4 minutes.
Remove from skillet with a slotted spoon.
Cool.
Mix crab meat, eggs, cooked peppers and 2 tablespoons of the bread crumbs in a large bowl.
Season with salt and pepper.
Using wet hands, shape crab mixture into 8 equal-size cakes.
Place on a wax paper-lined plate and chill up to several hours.
Heat oven to 375℉ (190℃).
Coat crab cakes in bread crumbs on all sides.
Heat remaining ¼ cup oil in a large, ovenproof skillet.
Add crab cakes in a single layer.
Cook until nicely browned on bottom, about 2 minutes.
Carefully turn cakes over and then place in oven.
Bake until golden on all sides, 10 to 12 minutes.
Meanwhile, for sauce, boil wine with shallot in a medium Stir in cream and boil until reduced by about half. Working over very low heat, whisk in the butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, until sauce is light and thick. Do not allow sauce to boil at any time or it will separate. Strain sauce through a fine wire mesh strainer into a warm bowl. Stir in cilantro, salt and pepper. Keep warm by covering tightly with plastic wrap and then placing bowl in a pan of warm water. To serve, pour a few tablespoons of the sauce onto a warm serving plate. Top with a crab cake. Garnish with chopped tomato and cilantro sprig. Serve immediately.
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