Louisiana Crab Cakes

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Louisiana Crab Cakes are a wonderful addition to any seafood meal. Flaky crab coupled with fresh veggies keep true to the Southern favorite. The slightly spicy chili sauce is so good you'll want it on everything on your plate!

Origins of the Crab Cake

Now, I am about to tell you something that may surprise you. The delicious crab cake was not invented here in the American South. Yep, sure wasn't. But like a lot of other things, we added our own signature flair to the dish and developed a distinct difference in what you find elsewhere.

The Crab cake actually comes from the Maryland area. Many think it is derived from a way that Native Americans served the tender, flaky confection. No matter how you fry it up, Baltimore style or Louisiana style, it is a seafood dish enjoyed by many people in all regions.

The Louisiana version is spicy! It also is pan fried in oil rather than butter and is breaded instead of not. Those are the main differences. We tried to stay true to the Louisiana version here but you will see we did pay homage in some flavor profiles to honor the Maryland version as well. If you want to switch things up try serving this with a dollop of our SPICY PIMENTO CHEESE on top! Whoooooo weeee!

How to make them.

We start off by gently cooking our veggies. This makes a big difference in the taste of the dish. Cooking them just until tender and adding the spices in creates a myriad of great flavor. Then we pull it all together and fry them up in just a bit of oil to seal the deal. We love BLANCHING OUR OWN VEGGIES in the summer so we can make these beauties all year long. Click the link to find out how to do that.

Want to add a bit more kick of spicy freshness when you serve these beauties? Check out our recipe for REDNECK CAVIAR as a great complement to these flaky bites of goodness.

Ingredients

1 Pound of lump Crab meat, can be imitation
2 tablespoons Butter
½ cup chopped onion
2 tablespoons minced garlic
½ cup chopped celery
1 tablespoon dried parsley
½ cup chopped bell pepper, any color
2 teaspoons Creole Seasoning
1 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
2 teaspoons dried basil
1 teaspoon dried Dill
½ teaspoon thyme
2 eggs, beaten
10 crushed butter crackers
4 tablespoons canola oil
3 tablespoons flour
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper

FOR THE SAUCE

1 cup Mayonnaise
1 tablespoon sweet chili sauce
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon Chili powder

Method

In a large skillet, cook onion , celery and bell pepper in 2 tablespoons of butter until tender at medium heat. Add minced garlic, parsley, creole seasoning, basil, salt, pepper, dill, old bay seasoning and thyme. Cook just until fragrant. About 1-2 minutes. Cool and place mixture in a large bowl.
Stir in beaten eggs. Gently fold in crabmeat, flour and crushed crackers. Mix just until combined.
In a small bowl, combine ingredients for sauce and mix well. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
Heat oil in the same skillet at low to medium heat. Form cakes out of crab mixture and place in pan or either in mold in pan to keep them together.
Cook 3-5 minutes per side until done. Remove and drain to cool.
Serve with sauce and Enjoy!

bell pepper, celery and onion in butter in pan

How to make the sauce

The Spicy Chili Sauce is one for the books! It adds so much to this recipe but can also be used for so much more! It is a simple dump and mix recipe. Which is our favorite kind!

Tips and Tricks

How can I keep my crab cakes from falling apart?

My favorite trick here is to use the largest biscuit cutter I have. I place it in the pan and form my cakes within it. Let them cook a minute then use tongs to remove the mold.

Are Maryland Crab Cakes really that different?

Yes and No. While the main components of the recipe are the same, Maryland style are not breaded. While these are not per se, they do contain flour and crackers that act more as a binder. The northern version of these are laced with more hints of lemon and thyme and savory seasonings like the Old Bay and usually do not contain any spice like the creole seasoning.

Can you deep fry them?

I am a firm believer that you can deep fry anything. However, this is a very loose batter. Mainly made up of the crab meat and the veggies. It would be a hard thing to keep it together in a deep fryer without freezing first. Placing frozen food in a deep fryer can be cumbersome.

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Yield: 12