Tuesday

Almond Crusted Crab Cakes with Lemon Yogurt Sauce

I can't remember the last time I had crab cakes. The breading, the frying, it's just not worth the trouble. That said, when my neighbor went crabbing on the Oregon coast, I couldn't say no to this offering. 
 
The challenge was to enjoy the meal and not the guilt. I get it, I could have eaten it right from the shell, or in a salad but I haven't posted in a while and I needed the challenge of developing a new recipe.

Recently someone posted a recipe where they added cauliflower to the crab meat in place of bread. I figured that was a pretty good place to start.  Also, I love the mild taste of crab and I didn't want to overwhelm it with a strong-flavored sauce. So I tweaked my lemon yogurt salad dressing and served a dollop on each cake. Given the feedback I've gotten from the lemon cream sauce I blogged about, I think you'll like this. If not, go back to a dollop of mayo or a drizzle of aioli -- just don't tell me about it if you go with ketchup!

Here's what I came up with. No mayo, no bread, and no frying. These were cooked on top of the stove in a covered nonstick pan that was rubbed with a little olive oil.



Time: 1 hour
Level: Easy
Yield: 3  2 1/2" crab cakes


Ingredients:

Oregon Coast Crab
Crab Cakes
1/2 lb cooked crab meat, shredded (1 med crab)
1/2 cup cauliflower, steamed and finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon parsley, finely chopped
1 egg, beaten
1 tablespoon garbanzo bean flour (if necessary to thicken)
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons crushed almonds or almond meal

Lemon Yogurt Sauce
1/2 cup Nancy's plain Greek yogurt
Juice of 1/2 medium lemon
1 1/2 tsp chopped basil
1/2 tsp lemon zest
1/2 tsp Glory Bee honey (to taste)

Directions:

Mix garlic, parsley, egg, and cauliflower in a food processor and process until almost smooth. If it's runny, add the garbanzo bean flour. Add crab meat. 

Form into patties, I used a 2 1/2 inch ring mold, and press into almond meal. 
Sear one side then turn. They are fragile at this point so be careful when turning. 
Turn the heat to the lowest setting, cover and check after 20 minutes. If the cake feels firm and the underside is browned, they are done. This just means that the egg is set and they will not fall apart as easily.

For the sauce, stir all ingredients in a mixing bowl and serve a dollop with each cake.



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