This is a formidable crab cake in a style that mimics tod mun, the Thai fish cake that, when made right, packs astonishing flavor. These cakes require shrimp purée as a binder; scallops will also work in place of the shrimp. Just stick a few in a small food processor and whiz for a few seconds, or chop and mash by hand.
Ingredients
- 6 medium raw shrimp, shelled, washed and deveined
- 1 teaspoon nam pla (fish sauce)
- 1 pound fresh lump crab meat, picked over for cartilage
- 1 egg
- ¼ cup chopped scallion
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro
- 1 fresh chili, preferably Thai, minced
- 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
- Salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 2 to 3 tablespoons bread crumbs, preferably fresh
- About 1/2 cup all-purpose flour for dredging
- Peanut or vegetable oil as needed
- Lime wedges for serving
4 servings
Preparation
- Purée shrimp in a food processor (smaller is better) until you have a smooth paste, or chop and mash by hand. Add fish sauce. In a bowl, mix the shrimp purée, crab meat, egg, scallion, cilantro, chili, ginger and salt and pepper; add just enough bread crumbs to stiffen mixture a bit. Refrigerate mixture until you are ready to cook; it will be easier to shape into cakes if you refrigerate it for 30 minutes or more.
- Season flour with salt and pepper. Film bottom of a large skillet with oil and place over medium-high heat. Shape crab meat mixture into cakes 1 inch thick and as wide as you want. Dredge each in flour, and cook, adjusting heat as necessary and turning once (very gently), until golden brown on both sides, about 5 minutes a side. Serve with lime wedges.
45 minutes
Dining and Cooking