Cornish Crab Cakes Recipe | Fresh White Crab with Lemon & Herb

Cornish Crab Cakes — From Elowen's Kitchen

The rule for a great crab cake is simple: use more crab than anything else. The moment the ratio tips in favour of breadcrumbs, potato or filler, you have a fish cake with a crab problem. These are 70% Cornish white crab meat and they hold together perfectly if you keep everything cold and handle them gently.

Fresh picked crab from a Cornish fishmonger is ideal. Failing that, good-quality pasteurised white crab meat works well — check it comes from UK waters. The sweetness of Cornish crab is the whole point.

Ingredients (makes 8 crab cakes, serves 4 as a starter)

400g fresh Cornish white crab meat, well drained 60g panko breadcrumbs (or fine fresh breadcrumbs) 2 tablespoons good mayonnaise 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard Zest of 1 unwaxed lemon 2 tablespoons finely chopped chives 1 tablespoon finely chopped flat-leaf parsley Sea salt and white pepper 1 egg yolk Flour, for dusting 3 tablespoons salted butter and 2 tablespoons neutral oil, for frying

For the samphire alongside (optional but recommended): 100g fresh marsh samphire (glasswort) (from Cornish fishmongers, in season May–August) Knob of butter Squeeze of lemon 50ml crème fraîche

Method

Check the crab meat for any pieces of shell by running it through your fingers gently. Squeeze out any excess moisture — very wet crab will make the cakes fall apart.

In a large bowl, combine the crab, breadcrumbs, mayonnaise, mustard, lemon zest, chives and parsley. Season with salt and white pepper. Add the egg yolk and mix gently — you want it combined, not worked hard.

Divide into 8 equal portions and shape into patties about 2cm thick. Place on a plate dusted with flour, dust the tops too and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Cold cakes hold together much better when frying.

To cook, heat a large non-stick frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add the butter and oil — the oil stops the butter burning. When the butter is foaming, add the crab cakes 4 at a time. Don't move them. Cook for 3-4 minutes until a deep golden crust has formed, then carefully flip and cook for a further 3 minutes.

For the samphire, wilt it in a knob of butter in a separate pan for 2 minutes — it needs almost no cooking. Add a squeeze of lemon. Serve alongside the crab cakes with a spoonful of cold crème fraîche.

Elowen's Tips

White pepper rather than black — the flecks of black pepper in white crab meat look wrong, and white pepper has a cleaner heat that works better here.

Don't skip the refrigeration step. Cold crab cakes = crab cakes that stay in one piece. Warm crab cakes = sad, collapsed crab cakes.

Samphire is seasonal in Cornwall from around May to August. If you can't get it, wilted spinach with garlic works well, or simply a dressed green salad with a lemon vinaigrette.

For events, these make an excellent canape passed around on a small board or slate. One crab cake per person with a tiny spoon of crème fraîche on top.

For Your Event?

Salt Wind Catering includes Cornish seafood canapés and platters in our event catering menus. Fresh crab, local lobster, smoked mackerel — proper Cornish seafood for weddings, corporate events and private parties. Call 01209 206255.