Scouting through my 25-year old boat recipes again and remembered another top little happy hour number. I think we used tinned crab on the yacht - we made use of loads of non-perishable product (the guests never knew their sweet potato crush contained half a bag of smash - add enough butter and salt and our secret was safe!). Anyway I used the last 200g of fresh meat from our recent bargain crab claws and the sun played into our hands making an appearance yesterday evening in time for a pond side G&T.
Makes 12 Crab Cakes:
200g fresh white crab meat
60g fresh breadcrumbs
1tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
2 spring onions, finely chopped
1 red chilli, finely chopped
1 heaped tsp grain mustard
Juice of half a lime
Dash of worcestershire sauce
2tbsp mayonnaise
1 egg white
700ml vegetable oil for frying
Lime wedges to serve
Mix all the ingredients together well adding salt and pepper to taste.
Form the crab mixture into 3cm balls with your hands, squeezing to press together then chill in the fridge for half an hour.
Heat the oil in a high sided saucepan to 170 degrees or hot enough for a small piece of bread to sizzle as soon as it hits the oil.
Gently lower half the cakes into the hot oil and cook for 1-2 minutes before turning with a spoon and cooking the other side for another minute or until pale golden all over. If the oil is too hot the cakes will sizzle furiously and may break up - if there is any sign of this take the pan off the heat for 10 seconds and lower the flame before continuing to cook at a slightly lower temperature. When golden remove the crab cakes with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper while you cook the rest. If making a large batch keep warm in a low oven. Sprinkle with sea salt and serve with wedges of lime.
