Etta’s New Crab Cakes

Served hot and accompanied by a side of tangy cocktail sauce and lemon wedges, Etta’s New Crab Cakes are a true delight for seafood lovers. Whether enjoyed as an appetizer or as a main course, these crab cakes offer a delightful combination of textures and flavors that will leave you craving more.

MAKES: 8 crab cakes

SERVES: 4

INGREDIENTS:

• 8 slices white sandwich bread
• 3 Tbs. plus 2 tsp. coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 Tbs. cider vinegar
• 1 Tbs. Dijon mustard
• 1 Tbs. coarsely chopped red bell pepper
• 1 Tbs. coarsely chopped onion
• 1 tsp. Tabasco® sauce
• 1/2 tsp. sweet paprika
• 1/2 tsp. chopped fresh thyme
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1 lb. fresh or pasteurized blue lump crabmeat, drained and picked clean of shell, or 1 lb. fresh Dungeness crabmeat
• 3 oz. (6 Tbs.) unsalted butter
• Red-Eye Cocktail Sauce
• 4 lemon wedges

FOR RED-EYE COCKTAIL SAUCE

• 1 1/2 tsp. finely ground coffee, preferably dark or espresso roast
• 1 cup ketchup
• 3 Tbs. prepared horseradish
• 1 1/2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
• 2 1/4 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Tear up the bread and pulse it in a food processor to make fine, soft crumbs (you should have about 3 1/2 cups). Pour the crumbs into a 9×13-inch (or similar size) dish and mix in 3 Tbs. of the parsley.
2. In a food processor, combine the egg yolk, vinegar, mustard, bell pepper, onion, Tabasco, paprika, thyme, 1/2 tsp. salt, 1/4 tsp. pepper, and the remaining 2 tsp. parsley. Pulse to finely mince the vegetables and combine all the ingredients. With the motor running, slowly add the oil through the feed tube until the mixture emulsifies and forms a thin mayonnaise.
3. Transfer the mayonnaise to a large bowl and stir in the sour cream. Use a rubber spatula to gently fold in the crabmeat, taking care not to break up the lumps. Pour the crab mixture onto a large rimmed baking sheet and portion it into eight equal mounds. Gently shape each mound into a patty about 3 inches wide and 1/2 inch thick. (The mixture will be quite wet.)
4. Using a spatula to move the patties, lightly dredge each patty on both sides in the reserved breadcrumb mixture. Cover the crab cakes with plastic wrap and chill for at least 1 hour. (You can leave the cakes right in the pan of breadcrumbs and chill them as long as overnight.)
5. Heat the oven to 200°F. Heat 3 Tbs. of the butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. When the butter melts, add 4 crab cakes to the pan. Gently fry the crab cakes until they’re golden brown on both sides and heated through, turning just once with a spatula, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer the cakes to a plate (don’t cover) and keep them warm in the oven. Wipe the skillet clean and cook the remaining crab cakes as above, using the remaining 3 Tbs. butter.
6. Serve hot, accompanied by ramekins of cocktail sauce and lemon wedges.

FOR RED-EYE COCKTAIL SAUCE

1. Put the finely ground coffee in a paper coffee filter cone set in a strainer over a Pyrex® measuring cup or small heatproof bowl.
2. Bring a small amount of water to a boil.
3. Pour about 2 Tbs. (the exact amount isn’t important) boiling water into the filter cone and allow the liquid coffee to drain off.
4. Discard the liquid and transfer the moistened coffee grounds from the paper cone to a bowl—you may need to scrape the coffee off the paper with a small spoon.
5. Add the ketchup, horseradish, lemon juice, and Worcestershire, and stir.
6. Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate for up to a week. Yields about 1 1/4 cups.

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION:

PER SERVING WITHOUT SAUCE

• 550 CALORIES | 26G PROTEIN | 27G CARB | 3.5G POLY FAT | 195MG CHOL |
  37 TOTAL FAT | 15G SAT FAT | 15G MONOFAT | 930MG SODIUM | 2G FIBER

NOTE:

• You can shape the crab cakes up to 24 hours before you cook them.
• When making crab cakes, mix the crabmeat gently so you don’t break up the lumps. Fold the crabmeat and other ingredients with a rubber spatula as if you’re gently folding a cake batter. If you’re using Dungeness, squeeze the crab meat lightly to remove excess liquid.