West Coast Chipotle, Crab & Corn Cakes

by Caren McSherry

Crab cakes are the darling of every cocktail party or first course in a sit-down dinner. What separates good from bad is simple: CRAB, good crab, Dungeness crab. Never substitute for the imitation, always use Dungeness. If not, you simply have a potato cake.

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Crab Cakes Ingredients:

1 large russet potato, peeled, cooked and grated
1 large egg, beaten
2 tbsp mayonnaise
1 heaping tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp Chipotle hot sauce (more if desired)
1/2 cup kernel corn, drained and blotted dry (canned is OK)
1/4 cup oil packed sun-dried tomatoes, blotted dry and finely chopped
1/3 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped
3/4lb fresh Dungeness crab meat
Sea salt & freshly ground pepper to taste
1 cup toasted ground hazelnuts or any nut you prefer
Grape-seed oil for frying

Chipotle Ingredients:

2/3 cup good mayonnaise
1/2 small, tinned chipotle pepper, minced

Method:

1.In a large bowl, combine the grated potato, beaten egg, mayo, mustard, hot sauce, green onion, corn, tomatoes, and cilantro. Mix well to incorporate all the ingredients.
2. Blot the crab on paper towel, shredding the larger pieces and removing any visible bits of shell. Add the crab to bowl and season to taste. Form into patties about 1 inch thick, roll the sides in the ground nuts, pressing so they adhere.
3. Heat a large nonstick pan to medium high heat, add about 2 tablespoons oil and fry the cakes on both sides until golden brown, about 1-2 minutes each side. Meanwhile, in a small bowl combine the mayonnaise and chipotle. Stir well and set aside.
4. Serve the crab cakes warm with the chipotle mayo.

Makes 24