Crab Cake Salad
My love for seafood was decided very early and has never wavered. I started making crab cakes at home after one too many disappointing restaurant versions, the kind with too much filler and not enough crab, where you are searching for the actual seafood under all that breadcrumb. My version tips the balance the other way: the crab is the point, and everything else is just there to hold it together and be polite about it. Putting them on a salad was a practical decision that turned out to be a very good one: the warm crab cake against the cool dressed greens and the avocado makes the whole thing feel like a proper meal without anyone heating a second pan. I feel that this is exactly the kind of cooking worth getting good at, not complicated, not fussy, but thoughtful enough that it looks like you tried.
Crab Cake Salad
I have always had a weakness for anything from the sea that comes pan-fried and golden. Crab cakes are the kind of thing I order whenever I see them on a menu, just to see how someone else does it, and then I come home and make my own version. This one sits on a bed of dressed greens, something crisp and cool underneath something warm and a little crispy, and the combination is, let me just say, very satisfying.
Ingredients
For the crab cakes
1 lb fresh or canned lump crab meat, picked over for shells
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1 large egg
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
2 spring onions, finely sliced
1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs, plus more for coating
Salt and black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons unsalted butter and 1 tablespoon oil, for frying
For the salad
4 cups baby arugula or mixed salad greens
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cucumber, thinly sliced
1 avocado, sliced
For the dressing
3 tablespoons good olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon honey
Salt and black pepper
Instructions
Drain the crab meat well and pick through it carefully for any shell fragments. In a large bowl, combine the mayonnaise, egg, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and Old Bay and mix until smooth. Fold in the crab, spring onions, parsley, and panko. Season with salt and pepper. The mixture should hold together when pressed, if it feels too wet, add a little more panko.
Shape the mixture into 8 small cakes, about 1 inch thick. Press each one lightly in extra panko to coat. Place on a plate, cover, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. This step keeps them from falling apart in the pan and it is worth not skipping.
Whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, mustard, and honey in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
Heat the butter and oil in a wide non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Once the butter foams and subsides, add the crab cakes. Do not crowd the pan, work in batches if needed. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes per side until deep golden. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels.
Toss the arugula, cherry tomatoes, and cucumber with just enough dressing to coat lightly. Divide between plates. Arrange the warm crab cakes on top, add the avocado slices, and drizzle a little extra dressing over everything. Serve straight away.
Hi, I'm Sarina!
I'm passionate about food, photography, and food styling. I want to share my unique perspective with you. Have a look around at my recipes and blog
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