Zingy crab cakes

Serves: 8
Course: Main Course
Cooking Time: 0 hr 15 mins
Ingredients
  • Serves 8
  • 500g cooked crab, drained
  • 1 or 2 green chillies, deseeded and very finely sliced
  • 4 spring onions, very finely sliced
  • Zest and juice of 2 limes
  • Big bunch (approx 20g) of flat leaf parsley, chopped
  • Big bunch (approx 20g) coriander, chopped
  • Salt and pepper
  • Handful or two of flour
  • 1-2 eggs, beaten
  • Approximately 150g panko or ordinary breadcrumbs
  • Sunflower oil
  • TO MAKE THE COCKTAIL SAUCE:
  • 150g mayonnaise
  • 2 tbsp ketchup
  • 1 tbsp horseradish sauce
  • 1 tbsp tomato puree
  • 2 limes
  • Good pinch cayenne pepper
  • Salt and pepper
  • Few shakes Tabasco sauce

Thoroughlydrain the crabmeat to get as much liquid out of it as possible. Mix with the chillies, spring onions, lime zest and juice, parsley and coriander and season with a little salt and plenty of black pepper. Roughly divide into eight and shape into patties. They will feel very wet, so give then a little dusting in the flour, which you have spread out on a plate. Then dunk them lightly in the beaten egg and then a last coating into the panko or breadcrumbs.

Lay them out on a tray or plate and refrigerate for an hour or so, if you can. Cover them loosely with foil. The fridge will cool them down and also dry them out a bit, making them easier to fry.

When you are ready to cook, heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan and fry them on each side for a few minutes, until golden brown. Make sure the oil is hot and that a nice golden brown coating forms before you try to turn them over. You may need to do this in two or three batches. You can keep them warm in the oven while you do the second batch. Drain on kitchen paper and serve with the cocktail sauce.

To make the cocktail sauce, mix all the ingredients together, season well and chill until ready to serve.

Domini Kemp

Domini Kemp

Domini Kemp, a contributor to The Irish Times, is a chef and food writer