While staying with John’s parents for Christmas, my sister-in-law made some outstanding crab cakes hors d’oeuvres before the family holiday dinner. Flavorful, tender on the inside, crisp on the outside, and perfectly bite-sized, I could easily have made a meal out of just those delectable morsels.
Those crab cakes stayed in the back of my mind for a few weeks, until the thought of morphing them into burgers took over.
If crab cakes can get any better, it’s by making them big enough to pile onto a burger bun with tartar sauce and sliced red onion.
Served with homemade sweet potato fries, of course.
Juicy lump crabmeat is worth the monetary splurge – so I suggest shelling out for the expensive fresh lump crabmeat rather than the canned stuff.
Another important tip when it comes to making crab cakes is to veer away from using too many breadcrumbs to bind the cakes together. Have you ever eaten a “crab” cake that consisted of more bread than crab? Not good. The breadcrumbs should ideally be indiscernible in the cooked patties… ensuring that each bite is full of sweet crab meat.
Although perhaps not a typical football-watching food, these crab cake burgers would be a delicious addition to your Super Bowl party this Sunday! You could even make smaller patties and serve them on dinner rolls as crab cake sliders.
Crab Cake Burgers
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Keywords: fry sandwich main crab
Ingredients (4 burgers)
Burgers:
- 1 lb lump crabmeat, picked over and drained if necessary
- 1 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1/2 cup whole wheat panko breadcrumbs
- 1 large egg, preferably organic, lightly whisked
- 3 Tbsp 2% plain Greek yogurt
- 2 Tbsp canola oil mayonnaise (I like the Spectrum brand)
- 2 scallions, thinly sliced
- 1 Tbsp country Dijon mustard
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 Tbsp canola oil
Tartar Sauce:
- 1 Tbsp canola oil mayonnaise (I like the Spectrum brand)
- 1/2 cup 2% plain Greek yogurt
- 1 medium Kosher dill pickle spear, finely diced
- 2 tsp pickle juice
- 2 Tbsp finely diced red onion
- 1 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
For Serving:
- lightly toasted whole wheat burger buns
- lettuce
- thinly sliced red onion
- fresh lemon wedges
Instructions
Make tartar sauce: combine mayonnaise and Greek yogurt in a small bowl. Mix thoroughly to combine. Stir in remaining ingredients. Chill until ready to serve.
In a large bowl, mix together the crabmeat, lemon juice, breadcrumbs, egg, yogurt, mayonnaise, scallions, mustard, and salt & pepper to taste. Mixture will be a bit wet.
Gently shape into 4 patties; place on a plate. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour.
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and cook the crab cake patties until golden, about 5 minutes per side.
Serve on toasted burger buns with tartar sauce, lettuce, red onion, and fresh lemon wedges.
Nutritional Information Per Serving (without buns, the nutritional stats of which vary depending on brand):
268.4 calories, 15 grams fat, 1.9 grams saturated fat, 1 gram fiber, 22.4 grams protein
