Equipment
Ingredients
Crab Cakes
- 450 g jumbo lump crab meat, picked over for shells
- 50 g mayonnaise
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 15 g dijon mustard
- 5 g old bay seasoning
- 5 ml worcestershire sauce
- 5 g fresh parsley, finely chopped
- 80 g panko breadcrumbs
Crystal Beurre Blanc
- 60 ml dry white wine
- 15 ml white wine vinegar
- 15 g shallot, finely minced
- 15 ml heavy cream
- 115 g unsalted butter, cold and cubed
- 30 ml crystal hot sauce
Spinach Base
- 200 g fresh spinach
- 15 g unsalted butter
- 5 g garlic, minced
Frying
- 45 ml clarified butter
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 663 kcal
- Protein
- 27 g
- Carbohydrates
- 19 g
- Fat
- 52 g
- Fiber
- 3 g
- Sugar
- 2 g
- Sodium
- 877 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 27 g
- Trans Fat
- 0 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 14 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 8 g
- Cholesterol
- 242 mg
- Potassium
- 799 mg
- Calcium
- 238 mg
- Iron
- 4.3 mg
- Magnesium
- 100 mg
- Phosphorus
- 373 mg
- Zinc
- 4.9 mg
- Vitamin A
- 597 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 26 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0.3 mcg
- Vitamin E
- 2.7 mg
- Vitamin K
- 287 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.4 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 10.4 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.36 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.32 mg
- Niacin
- 4.9 mg
- Folate
- 180 mcg
- Water
- 188 g
- Alcohol
- 2 g
Sources: USDA FoodData Central
Method
Combine mayonnaise, egg, Dijon mustard, Old Bay seasoning, Worcestershire sauce, and chopped parsley in a mixing bowl. Whisk until completely smooth.
Gently fold the jumbo lump crab meat and half of the panko breadcrumbs into the binder. Use a rubber spatula and extreme care to avoid breaking the delicate crab lumps.
Form the mixture into four equal patties. Lightly press the remaining panko breadcrumbs onto the outside of each cake. Place on a parchment-lined tray and refrigerate for 1 hour to set.
In a small saucepan, combine white wine, white wine vinegar, and minced shallot. Simmer over medium heat until the liquid is reduced to about one tablespoon.
Reduce the heat to the lowest setting. If using, whisk in the heavy cream. Whisk in the cold butter, one or two cubes at a time, allowing each addition to fully emulsify into the sauce before adding more. Do not let the sauce boil.
Remove the beurre blanc from the heat entirely and whisk in the Crystal Hot Sauce. Keep the sauce in a warm place, such as in a thermal carafe or near the stove away from direct heat.
Heat clarified butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat to approximately 175 degrees Celsius or 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Pan-fry the crab cakes for 3 to 4 minutes per side until deeply golden brown and the internal temperature reaches 74 degrees Celsius or 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
In a separate skillet, melt the small portion of butter over medium heat. Add the minced garlic and fresh spinach. Toss gently until the spinach is just wilted, about 2 minutes.
Place a bed of wilted spinach on each warmed plate. Top with a crab cake and generously spoon the Crystal Hot Sauce beurre blanc over and around the dish. Serve immediately.
Chef's Notes
- Jumbo lump crab is expensive and prized for its large, unbroken pieces. The cardinal rule of crab cakes is to fold the mixture just enough to coat the meat. Overmixing will shred the crab and ruin the luxurious texture.
- A beurre blanc is highly temperature sensitive. If holding it for more than 10 minutes before serving, an insulated coffee thermos is the perfect vessel to keep it warm without breaking.
- Adding just a small splash of heavy cream to the wine reduction before adding the butter provides casein proteins that act as an insurance policy, making the emulsion significantly more stable.
Storage
Refrigerator: 2 days — Store cooked crab cakes and spinach in airtight containers. Beurre blanc must be made fresh and will solidify and break if refrigerated.
Reheating: Reheat crab cakes in a 175C or 350F oven until warmed through. Do not reheat the beurre blanc; make it fresh.
Troubleshooting
Beurre blanc separates into a greasy, oily mess
Cause: Sauce got too hot causing the butterfat to separate from the water and milk solids, or butter was added too quickly
Fix: Whisk a splash of cold heavy cream or ice water vigorously into the broken sauce off the heat to try and re-emulsify it
Prevention: Keep heat very low while incorporating butter, use strictly cold butter cubes, and never let the finished sauce boil
Crab cakes fall apart in the pan
Cause: Insufficient chilling time or rough handling when flipping
Fix: Cannot be fixed structurally, but you can serve the pieces gently reformed on the plate
Prevention: Ensure the cakes chill for the full hour to allow the binder to set. Flip only once using a wide, thin spatula
Cultural Context
This dish bridges the gap between classic French culinary technique and bold Southern American flavors. The incorporation of Crystal Hot Sauce, a Louisiana staple since 1923, cuts through the richness of the traditional butter-heavy beurre blanc to perfectly complement the sweet Gulf crab meat.
