
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
Kentucky Crab Cakes with Roasted Tomatillo Mayo
A great takeaway or lunch menu option! Our crab cakes with roasted tomatillo mayo is a signature dish from Jack Fry's, a legendary diner in Louisville Kentucky. The tomatillo mayo can be used using canned tomatillos, or if you prefer use green tomatoes with a few squeezes of fresh lime juice. Piment d'Espelette can be found in powdered or paste form at specialty food stores. If necessary, hot paprika can be used as a substitute.
Recipe and image courtesy bon appétit
Ingredients
- 500 gm Pacific West Blue Swimmer Crab meat
- 3 medium tomatillos, husks removed, rinsed - tomatillo mayo
- 1 tbs vegetable oil - tomatillo mayo
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper - tomatillo mayo
- 1 cup mayonnaise - tomatillo mayo
- 1 tbs fresh lemon juice - tomatillo mayo
- 2 large eggs, beaten to blend - crab cakes and assembly
- 2 tsp finely grated lemon zest - crab cakes and assembly
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice - crab cakes and assembly
- 2 tbs finely chopped fresh chives - crab cakes and assembly
- 4 tsp crème fraîche - crab cakes and assembly
- 4 tsp mayonnaise - crab cakes and assembly
- 2 tsp piment d’Espelette - crab cakes and assembly
- 2 cups panko (Japanese breadcrumbs), divided - crab cakes and assembly
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper - crab cakes and assembly
- Vegetable oil (for cooking; about 5 tablespoons) - crab cakes and assembly
- Lemon wedges (for serving) - crab cakes and assembly
Instructions
For the tomatillo mayo
Preheat oven to 230C°. Toss tomatillos and oil on a rimmed baking sheet; season with salt and pepper. Roast, tossing once, until skins are blistered in spots and beginning to separate from flesh, 15−20 minutes. Let cool, then purée in a food processor until smooth; transfer to a medium bowl. Stir in mayonnaise and lemon juice; season with salt and pepper. Cover and chill.
For the crab cakes
Place eggs, crabmeat, lemon zest, lemon juice, chives, crème fraîche, mayonnaise, piment d’Espelette, and ⅔ cup panko in a medium bowl; season with salt and pepper. Gently stir until mixture comes together (it will be slightly wet). Cover and chill until cold, about 30 minutes. Place remaining panko in a shallow bowl. Using wet hands, form about 2 tbsp crab mixture to make each crab cake. Try not to pack the crab mixture too tightly; you want these to just hold their shape so they fry up light and airy. Repeat to make about 20 cakes. Coat in panko, pressing gently to adhere. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a medium skillet over medium. Working in a few batches and adding 1 tbsp oil to skillet in between, cook until deep golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to paper towels to drain; season with salt. Serve crab cakes with mayo and lemon wedges.
For our crab cakes with roasted tomatillo mayo we use Pacific West’s Blue Swimmer Crab Meat. This has been fully cooked and chilled and ‘ready to go’.
Product number: 4710, 4711, 4712
