Shelly's Recipe

CREOLE CRAB CAKES

Category: Fish and Seafood

2 tbsp olive oil
1 cup small diced yellow onions
1/2 cup small diced celery
1/4 cup small diced red bell peppers
1/4 cup small diced yellow bell peppers
Salt and pepper
1 tbsp chopped garlic
1 pound lump crabmeat, cleaned and picked over for shells and cartilage
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
2 tbsp finely chopped parsley leaves
3 tbsp Creole mustard
4 tbsp fresh lemon juice, (juice of 2 lemons), in all
2 eggs, in all
3 1/2 cups vegetable oil, in all
1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp hot pepper sauce
1 1/2 cups fine bread crumbs, in all
1/4 cup flour
3 tsp Creole seasoning, in all
1 tbsp water
1/4 tsp white pepper

Heat the olive oil in a medium saute pan over medium heat. Add the onions, celery, and peppers. Season with salt and pepper. Saute for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and continue to saute for 2 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and cool for 5 minutes. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the crabmeat, green onions, grated cheese, parsley, Creole mustard, and juice of 1 lemon. Mix to incorporate. Set the mixture aside.

In a food processor with a metal blade, process 1 egg and remaining lemon juice for 1 minute. With the machine running, slowly add 1 cupvegetable oil. The mixture will be thick after all the oil is incorporated. Add the Worcestershire and hot sauce, process the mixture to incorporate. Season the mayonnaise with salt and pepper.

Fold the cooled sauteed vegetables into the crab mixture. Fold 1/2 cup of the mayonnaise and 3/4 cup of the bread crumbs into the crab mixture. Mix gently but thoroughly. In a shallow bowl, season the flour with 1 tsp of the Creole seasoning and the white pepper. In another bowl, whisk the remaining egg with the water. Finally in 1 bowl, combine the remaining bread crumbs and 1 tsp Creole seasoning together. Portion the filling into 1/3 cup balls. Form the balls into patties, about 1-inch thick. Pour the remaining 2 1/2 cups oil into a saute pan and heat to 360 degrees F, about 2 minutes. Dredge the cakes in the seasoned flour. Dip the cakes in the egg wash, letting the excess drip off. Dredge the cakes in the seasoned bread crumbs, covering the cakes completely. Gently lay the cakes in the oil and fry for 4 minutes on each side. Remove the cakes from the oil and drain on a paper-lined plate. Season the cakes with the remaining Creole seasoning. Serve with Maw-Maws Slaw and Creole Tartar Sauce (recipe files).