Moroccan-Spiced Crab Cakes

Name: Moroccan-Spiced Crab Cakes
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 2-4 serving(s)
Ingredients: 1 tablespoon olive oil; 1/4 cup red bell pepper, finely chopped; 1/4 cup celery, finely chopped; 2 scallions, white and tender green, thinly sliced; 1/2 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced; 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin; 1/2 teaspoon turmeric; 1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom; 1/2 cup heavy cream; 1/2 lb large lump crabmeat, picked over; 1 cup Japanese-style bread crumbs (panko) or 1 cup breadcrumbs, coarse stale; 2 tablespoons parsley, finely chopped; 2 tablespoons chives, finely chopped; 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest, finely grated; 1 pinch cayenne pepper; salt; 1/4 cup canola oil; 1/2 cup fresh orange juice; 1 teaspoon cumin seed; 1/2 cup lightly packed cilantro leaf; 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice; 1/4 cup canola oil; salt; cayenne pepper

Submitted by ncmysteryshopper

"These succulent crab cakes and the accompanying cilantro dressing are adapted from Matthew Kenney's Mediterranean Cooking (Chronicle Books). The Cilantro-Orange Dressing makes about One Cup. The dressing can be refrigerated for up to 4 hours. Let return to room temperature before serving."

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photo by ncmysteryshopper

Ready In:: 35mins
Ingredients:: 24
Serves:: 2-4

ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
¹⁄₄ cup red bell pepper, finely chopped
¹⁄₄ cup celery, finely chopped
2 scallions, white and tender green, thinly sliced
¹⁄₂ teaspoon fresh ginger, minced
¹⁄₂ teaspoon ground cumin
¹⁄₂ teaspoon turmeric
¹⁄₈ teaspoon ground cardamom
¹⁄₂ cup heavy cream
¹⁄₂ lb large lump crabmeat, picked over
1 cup Japanese-style bread crumbs (panko) or 1 cup breadcrumbs, coarse stale
2 tablespoons parsley, finely chopped
2 tablespoons chives, finely chopped
¹⁄₂ teaspoon lemon zest, finely grated
1 pinch cayenne pepper
salt
¹⁄₄ cup canola oil
Cilantro-Orange Dressing
¹⁄₂ cup fresh orange juice
1 teaspoon cumin seed
¹⁄₂ cup lightly packed cilantro leaf
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
¹⁄₄ cup canola oil
salt
cayenne pepper

directions

Cilantro-Orange Dressing.
In a saucepan, boil the orange juice over moderately high heat until reduced to 2 tablespoons, about 8 minutes. Let cool, then transfer to a blender.
Meanwhile, in a small dry skillet, toast the cumin seeds over moderate heat, shaking the pan occasionally, until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Grind the cumin in a mortar or spice grinder.
Add the cumin to the blender along with the cilantro and lemon juice and blend until smooth. With the blender on, add the canola oil in a thin, steady stream. Season with salt and cayenne.
Crab Cakes.
Heat the olive oil in a nonstick skillet. Add the red pepper and celery and cook over moderately high heat, stirring, until the vegetables are just softened, about 2 minutes. Add the scallions and ginger and cook until the scallions are wilted, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the cumin, turmeric and cardamom and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the cream and boil until reduced by half, about 6 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and let cool slightly.
Add the crabmeat to the cream mixture along with 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon of the bread crumbs, 1 1/2 tablespoons each of the parsley and chives, and the lemon zest. Season with cayenne and salt and mix gently but thoroughly.
With moistened hands, shape the crab mixture into 8 cakes, using a scant 1/3 cup for each; the cakes should be about 3 inches wide and 3/4 inch thick. Spread the remaining bread crumbs on a large plate. Coat the crab cakes with the bread crumbs and transfer to a baking sheet lined with wax paper.
Heat 2 tablespoons of the canola oil in a medium nonstick skillet. Add half of the crab cakes and cook until browned and crisp, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a platter. Repeat with the remaining canola oil and crab cakes. Arrange the crab cakes on plates, drizzle with the Cilantro-Orange Dressing and garnish with the remaining 1/2 tablespoon each of the parsley and chives.

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Reviews

I was luke warm with these, but DH loved them so I'm comprimising and giving a 4-star review. They didn't really want to stay together to cook in the pan very well, it seemed to me that there needed to be more of a binding agent in this recipe. I thought the dressing was kind of bland. I was anticipating there to be a LOT of flavor from the spices in these crabcakes, but to me the overall flavor was of crab, not the different flavors together. My DH really liked that about this dish, I, however, have a hard time eating straight crab, I like crab, but I like crab with stuff, not as the overwhelming flavor of a dish. So, for those of you out there who like really crabby crab cakes, these are for you, just personal taste that I wanted more of the other flavors to stand out. Thanks for posting!

I Cook Therefore I
Delicious!!! The sauce is especially scrumptious!!!!

Charmie777
This is one of those recipes that really deserves way more than 5 stars. I made up the dressing a day ahead to blend the flavores. Really the only change I made was I omitted the cardamom, and changed some amounts slightly. I found that 1 cup of Panko was not enough, I had to add in more as they did not hold together, these are very delicate so you really have to handle with care when shaping, I will use regular bread crumbs next time, I think they would hold together much better. This recipe is going into my favorites and I will repeat it many times over. Thank you ncmystershopper!..Kitten:)

Kittencalrecipezazz

RECIPE SUBMITTED BY

ncmysteryshopper

I live in the beautiful mountains of Western North Carolina on Butler Mountain. I am a mystery shopper for restaurants and retail establishments. I graduated from UNC-Asheville with a BFA in art (photography). I was just recently married in Costa Rica to KC and his 6 year old son, Ty. Our wedding was perfect and I will cherish the memories forever. Leslie, Mama's Kitchen, sassafrasnanc, Mommy Diva and Chef V attended the wedding with their husbands!! Leslie's daughter Sarah was our flower girl and her hubby Wayne was our talented musician! 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