Crab Cakes and Cocktail Sauce

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For New Year’s Eve, I always try to make something a little extra special and this year was no different. I made filet and crab cakes. My version of surf and turf.

When I go visit my family in New Jersey, I eat crab the entire time I am there. I love crab. When we moved to the West Coast, I discovered Dungeness crab. It is delicious, but it is not the same as the blue crab that I am used to. West Coast Crab Feeds are really fun events and a new way for me to eat crab. But when I see jumbo lump crabmeat in the store, I always bring some home. For New Year’s Eve, I always try to make something a little extra special and this year was no different. I made filet and crab cakes. My version of surf and turf.

This meal is very easy to make and perfect for a romantic dinner for two. You can prep everything ahead of time and saute the crab cakes right before you are going to serve them. I served this with a simple salad and a glass of champagne. A great way to ring in 2011 if I do say so myself.

Crab Cakes and Cocktail Sauce Ingredients //

• 1 pound jumbo lump crabmeat
• 1/3 cup crushed Saltine crackers
• 3 finely chopped green onions
• 1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard
• the juice of 1/2 a lemon
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon salt

for dredging:

• 1/2 cup crushed Saltines
• 1/2 cup flour

to cook:

• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup butter

Cocktail Sauce:

• 1/2 cup Heinz Chili Sauce
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 3 Tablespoons horseradish
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• hot sauce to taste

How to Make // The Steps

Step 1: In a large bowl, mix together everything except the crabmeat.

Step 2: Add the crabmeat.

Step 3: Gently fold the crabmeat in. You spent a lot of money on crabmeat, so it is nice to keep it as a whole as possible.

Step 4: Line a baking sheet with tin foil, form the crab into patties, and chill in the fridge for at least an hour. There is not a lot of filler in these crab cakes, so chilling them really helps hold them together.

Step 5: Combine together the Saltines and flour in a small bowl.

Step 6: Dredge the crab cakes in a mixture of flour and saltine crackers.

Step 7: In a large saute pan over medium heat, melt together the butter and oil. Cook the crab cakes for about 4 or until golden brown. Flip the crab cake over and brown the other side.

Step 8: Mix everything together in a bowl.

Step 9: Put the cocktail sauce in another container and serve with the crab cakes.

These can be made much smaller and a perfect little appetizer. Enjoy!

Why is This Sauce Great with Crab Cakes?

This cocktail sauce gives a bold, savory, and zesty flavor, and this pairs well with seafood. It is traditionally made with horseradish that has a pungent taste, mixed with ketchup that adds a sweet-sour taste. And it is seasoned with lemon juice and Worcestershire which add a zesty and savory flavor. Yes, you can make this in advance. Because of the lemon’s acidity and the sauce’s naturally low PH will help preserve it for up to 2 weeks. You can store this in the fridge in a squeeze bottle or an airtight jar and you’ll have a flavorful sauce anytime.

Variations to This Sauce

Traditional cocktail sauce consists primarily of ketchup and horseradish. Aside from citrus and Worcestershire, another component that I added is chili sauce or any form of hot sauce. I discovered during one of my European trips that over there, cocktail sauce consists of mayo and ketchup similar to fry sauce or thousand island dressing. If horseradish isn’t available hot sauce is a great substitute to get that pungent taste. A small amount of Wasabi can also be used to get that radish taste but with less heat.

What Sauces are Good with Crab Cake?

There are a number of sauces out there that go well with seafood and crab in particular. There’s remoulade which is a mayonnaise-based French sauce. I also like spicy chipotle sauce made from real chilis. And there’s cocktail sauce, which is used primarily for seafood dishes. This cocktail sauce and its variants are known for its zesty, sweet, and savory taste. It’s a versatile sauce that goes well with any seafood like shrimps, and of course crab cake.