Crab cakes aren’t exactly seasonal, but they do make good warm weather fare: light enough for the heat, but substantial enough to leave you satisfied. Crab cakes aren’t exactly exciting, either, but they can be a great canvas for creative chefs willing to kick them up a notch. At Bixby’s, chef Todd Lough serves them in miniature form atop a flavorful black bean salsa whose earthiness is accentuated with pops of bright, sweet citrus, then adds a note of heat with a chipotle aïoli.
Mini Crab Cakes
Courtesy of Bixby’s Todd Lough
6 servings
¼ cup fine diced yellow onion
¼ cup fine diced red bell pepper
1 Tbsp. butter
1 Tbsp. chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
1 tsp. dry English mustard
1 tsp. Old Bay seasoning
¼ cup mayonnaise
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
½ tsp. lemon zest
1 lb. lump crab meat (drained)
Sea salt and ground white pepper to taste
½ cup panko bread crumbs, plus extra for breading
Dash Cholula hot sauce
Vegetable oil
Black bean salsa (recipe follows)
1 orange, segmented
Orange-chipotle aïoli (recipe follows)
• Place the onion, bell pepper and butter in a sauté pan over medium heat. Sweat for 3 to 4 minutes, then spread the vegetables out on a sheet pan to cool.
• Combine the next 10 ingredients plus ½ cup of the panko in a large mixing bowl. Add the peppers and onions. Mix gently.
• Roll ¾ ounce of the crab mixture into a small ball, then roll it in panko to coat. With your palm, flatten the crab mixture into a cake. Repeat until all of the crab mixture is used; you should have about 18 to 20 cakes.
• Coat the bottom of a sauté pan with the oil and allow to heat. Sear the cakes until heated through, working in batches if necessary.
• To serve, place about ½ cup of black bean salsa on individual plates. Divide the orange segments between the plates. Top with three crab cakes and drizzle each plate with orange-chipotle aïoli.
Black Bean Salsa
2 cups black beans, cooked tender
4 tomatillos, grilled and diced
2 red bell peppers, diced
½ bunch cilantro, chopped
Juice of 3 limes
1 small red onion, diced
2 Tbsp. olive oil
Salt and black pepper to taste
• Combine all of the ingredients in a mixing bowl.
Orange-Chipotle Aïoli
2 cups mayonnaise
1½ tsp. roasted garlic paste
½ tsp. orange zest
1½ Tbsp. chipotle pepper purée, seeds removed
½ tsp. sea salt
• Combine all of the ingredients in a mixing bowl.
• Refrigerate until ready to use.
This article appears in June 2011.