The original recipe, for Louisiana Crab Cakes, comes from Chuck Taggart's Gumbopages Website. The recipe is based on one by Chef Kevin Graham, of Graham's Creole Cafe. As usual, I have modified the recipe to match ingredients easily available in Kyiv. The recipe's name changed because I use what is available whenever I get the urge to make this dish. In the past, I have used tuna, shrimp, salmon, clams and even imitation crab or lobster. Be creative and flexible!
Seafood cake mixture:
1 large can of lump crab meat (pick over).
1 package cooked frozen shrimp
1 medium onion
2 stalks of celery
1 sweet red pepper
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried thyme
tablespoon of dried tarragon
1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
1/2 tablespoon of prepared mustard
3 tablespoons of mayonnaise
1/2 tablespoon of Tabasco sauce
1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup bread crumbs
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup flour (approximate)
Lemon-Butter Sauce:
5 egg yolks
3 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon soy sauce
Clean the crabmeat, removing cartilage and shell fragments. Thaw, rinse and dice shrimp, then place the crab and shrimp in a large mixing bowl. Finely chop the onion, celery and red pepper. Saute the onion, celery and pepper in a non-stick frying pan, adding the Worcestershire and Tabasco sauce and herbs to pan. Let vegetables cool, then place in the mixing bowl with the seafood. Also add the mustard, mayonnaise and breadcrumbs and mix well.
Form the mixture into cakes, adding more breadcrumbs if needed. Dredge cakes in flour, egg wash and coat with breadcrumbs. Pan fry in oil with a tablespoon of butter until golden brown (approximately 4 to 5 minutes on each side). Set the cakes in an oven on low heat while preparing the lemon-butter sauce.
Mix together the egg yolks, soy sauce and lemon juice in a small bowl. Heat butter until it bubbles, then slowly pour into the egg and lemon mixture, stirring it into a sauce.
Drizzle the lemon-butter sauce over the cakes, and serve with coleslaw and pickled beets.
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