Thai Style Crab Cakes

prep time:: 15 minutes (plus chilling)
cook time:: 10 minutes
total time:: 25 minutes (plus chilling)

Makes 4 servings

From Mark Bittman’s weekly New York Times column “The Minimalist.” He says “I learned how to make good crab cakes 20 years ago rom Johnny Earles, a chef and friend in the Florida Panhandle. When I say ”good,“ I mean crab cakes made predominantly from crab, seasonings, a tiny bit of mayo as binder and not much else. And for a long time I barely tinkered with the recipe. Why would I? Everyone loved it. Then it occurred to me that I could make a formidable crab cake in a style that mimics tod min, the Thai fish cake that, when made right, packs astonishing flavor. The trick was to get rid of the mayonnaise. I found that the shrimp puree works perfectly as a binder. You can serve these with lime wedges, as shown below, or make a Thai-style dipping sauce of nam pla or soy sauce, lime juice, a little sugar and a few chopped scallions.” Enjoy.

ingredients

6 medium raw shrimp, shelled, washed and deveined
1 teaspoon nam pla (fish sauce)
1 pound fresh lump crab meat, picked over for cartilage
1 egg
1/4 cup chopped scallion
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1 fresh chili, preferably Thai, minced
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 to 3 tablespoons bread crumbs, preferably fresh
About 1/2 cup all-purpose flour for dredging
Peanut or vegetable oil as needed
Lime wedges for serving.

directions

1
1. Purée shrimp in a food processor (smaller is better) until you have a smooth paste, or chop and mash by hand. Add fish sauce. In a bowl, mix the shrimp purée, crab meat, egg, scallion, cilantro, chili, ginger and salt and pepper; add just enough bread crumbs to stiffen mixture a bit. Refrigerate mixture until you are ready to cook; it will be easier to shape into cakes if you refrigerate it for 30 minutes or more.
2
2. Season flour with salt and pepper. Film bottom of a large skillet with oil and place over medium-high heat. Shape crab meat mixture into cakes 1 inch thick and as wide as you want. Dredge each in flour, and cook, adjusting heat as necessary and turning once (very gently), until golden brown on both sides, about 5 minutes a side. Serve with lime wedges.

Source: Ellie Williams