Brown crabs are found all over the British Isles where the rocks and weeds provide cover and, of course, the cold water. I’ve never eaten crab as good as the ones I tasted in Cromer and in the Orkney Islands on this trip. These cakes showcase the delicious flavour of fresh crab.
James Martin's Great British Adventure: Crab Cakes with Homemade Mayonnaise
Print ThisIngredients
- 400g white crab meat
- 400g cooked potato, pushed through a ricer
- 6 spring onions, sliced
- Small bunch of chives, chopped
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1 egg yolk
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 25g plain flour
- Olive oil, for frying
- For the mayonnaise
- 3 egg yolks
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
- 200ml vegetable oil
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Small bunch of watercress
- 1 lemon, cut into 4 wedges
Instructions
For the mayonnaise, whisk the egg yolks, mustard and vinegar together in a medium bowl until smooth. Slowly pour the vegetable oil into the bowl, whisking well. This is easiest to do with an electric hand whisk. Continue to drizzle in the remaining oil, whisking all the time, until the mixture has thickened. Season to taste.
Put the crab into a large bowl with the potatoes, spring onions, chives, lemon juice and egg yolk. Season and mix everything together well and divide into 8 portions. Dust your hands with flour and form each into a round fish-cake shape, roughly 8–10cm in diameter and 2cm thick.
Heat a large, non-stick frying pan over a medium heat until hot. Drizzle with a little oil and pop the fish cakes in. Cook for 2–3 minutes on each side until golden and heated through.
To serve, pop 2 crab cakes onto each plate, garnish each with watercress and a lemon wedge and serve with a dollop or a little pot of mayonnaise.
James Martin’s Great British Adventure, Quadrille, £25.
