Jacques Pepins Crab Cakes With Avocado Salsa Recipe 425

CRAB CAKES WITH AVOCADO SALAD

Steps:

• Heat 1 tablespoon oil in heavy small skillet over medium heat. Add 3/4 cup onions, ginger, and garlic; sauté 5 minutes. Add cumin and tumeric, then 1/4 tomato; sauté 1 minute. Transfer to medium bowl and cool.
• Add crab, 1/2 cup panko, 4 tablespoons cilantro, 3 teaspoons lime juice, chives, 1/2 teaspoon lime peel, and cayenne to onion mixture. Season with salt and pepper. Mix in egg. Form into four 3- to 3 1/2-inch-diameter patties. Place 1 cup panko on plate. Coat crab cakes with crumbs pressing to adhere. Transfer to another plate. (Can be made 6 hours ahead. Cover; chill.)
• Mix 1/4 cup onion, 1/4 cup tomato, 2 tablespoons cilantro, 2 teaspoons lime juice, and 1/2 teaspoon lime peel in medium bowl. Add avocados and toss to coat. Cover; chill up to 2 hours.
• Heat 2 tablespoons oil in heavy large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add crabcakes; cook until brown, about 3 minutes per side. Serve with avocado salad.
• *Available at Asian markets and in the Asian foods section of some supermarkets.

CRAB CAKES WITH SPICY AVOCADO SAUCE

Steps:

• Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with foil.
• Make sauce:
• Pulse avocado with mayonnaise, lime juice, salt, sugar, and one fourth of chile in a food processor until chile is finely chopped. Add milk and purée until smooth. Add more chile if desired, processing until smooth. Transfer sauce to a bowl and chill, covered.
• Make crab cakes:
• Stir together crabmeat, mayonnaise, chives, lemon juice, mustard, pepper, and 1 tablespoon panko in a large bowl until blended well, then chill, covered.
• Melt butter in a medium nonstick skillet over moderate heat, then cook garlic, stirring, until golden and fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add herbes de Provence, salt, and remaining 7 tablespoons panko and cook, stirring, until golden brown, about 6 minutes. Transfer crumbs to a plate to cool. Discard garlic.
• Divide crabmeat mixture into 4 mounds on a sheet of wax paper. Form 1 mound into a patty, then carefully turn patty in crumb mixture to coat top and bottom. Transfer to a baking sheet and repeat with remaining 3 mounds, then sprinkle remaining crumbs on top of crab cakes. Bake until heated through, about 15 minutes. Serve crab cakes with sauce.