Here is your crabcake muff recipe. Compose it however you like. It takes me 10 minutes to make these. They are very versatile, too, they will work with any type of crabcake.
When it comes to crabcakes, I believe that they should be mostly crab, with a few complementary flavors and a small amount of binder. This recipe is the perfect way to celebrate Louisiana Blue Crab season and put my philosophy into practice.
These are some of the easiest you’ll ever make, and they don’t need any extra steps. If you want, you can just eat them with a lemon wedge. But if you’re feeling fancy, go ahead and make the tarragon sauce. It’ll take them to the next level, and they’ll taste chef’s kiss.
White bread is just fine, but my buddy Big Bob O’Donnell says that up North they serve crabcakes on English muffins. He says it’s a real treat, and I’m thinking about trying it out myself.
Crabcake Muffs Recipe
Ingredients
BIG ZESTY BUTTERMILK DRESSING (MAKES ABOUT 1 CUP)
- 1/2 cup mayo, preferably Duke's
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 2 tbsp buttermilk
- 1 tbsp teaspoon fresh lemon juice, or more
- 2 tbsp gochugaru (Korean chile flakes) or other red chile flakes
- 2 tbsp Zatarain's Creole Seasoning
- 1/2 tbsp kosher salt (Diamond Crystal or about half as much Morton), or more
- 1/2 tbsp freshly ground black pepper
CRABCAKES
- 1 piece egg
- 1/2 cup mayo, preferably Duke's
- 1 tbsp Old Bay Seasoning
- 1 tbsp chopped tarragon
- 1/2 tbsp kosher salt (Diamond Crystal or about half as much Morton)
- 10 p altine crackers, crushed very small like coarse bread crumbs
- 1 pound fresh jumbo lump crabmeat, picked through for lingering hard stuff
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
MUFFS
- 1/2 cup Big Zesty Buttermilk Dressing (recipe above)
- 1 p juicy lemon
- 2 tbsp inely chopped tarragon
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter, room-temp so it's mayo-soft
- 4 p English muffins, split
- 1 p juicy lemon
- 1 cup shredded lettuce
Instructions
THE BIG ZESTY BUTTERMILK DRESSING
- Mix all the ingredients together well. If you want, add more salt and lemon. It keeps in the fridge for up to 10 days.
FOR THE CRABCAKES:
- 1.About an hour before you start to cook, whisk together the egg, mayo, Old Bay, tarragon and salt in a small bowl.
- 2.In a medium bowl, use your hands to gently toss together the crackers and crab.
- 3.Fold in the mayo mixture with a delicate touch to keep those lovely crab lumps intact the best you can.
- 4.Fridge it for at least an hour (so the saltines turn into food glue) or up to a day.
- 5.Separate the crab mixture into four blobs, then lightly pack them into 1-inch-or-so-thick patties that are about as wide as the English muffins and put them on a plate.
- 6.Get a large heavy skillet hot over high heat, then add the oil and give it a swirl. When it smokes, add the patties with a little space between each one.
- 7.Lower the heat to medium and cook until these babies are pancake brown on both sides and hot through, about 4 minutes per side.
FOR THE MUFFS:
- Mix the buttermilk dressing and tarragon in a little bowl and let it hang out.
- Put the skillet back over medium heat.
- Generously butter the cut sides of the English muffins, then cook them in batches, cut side down, until they're nice and toasty, 2 to 3 minutes. Set them aside.
- Squeeze the whole lemon all over the crabcakes, then make sandwiches on the English muffins with the crabcakes, tarragon sauce and shredded lettuce.
- Eat with the hot sauce handy in case anyone's feeling spicy.
