Dungeness Crab Cake with Avocado and Chipotle Hollandaise

By Joelene

Ingredients

• For hollandaise sauce:
• 4 egg yolks
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 1/4 cups butter, clarified to 1 cup
• 1/4 teaspoon chipotle puree
• Salt and pepper to taste
• For crab cakes:
• 2 pounds Dungeness crabmeat
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• Zest of 2 limes
• 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
• 2 tablespoons chopped chives
• 1/2 cup finely chopped pickles
• 2 cups bread crumbs
• 2 tablespoons extra- virgin olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground white pepper
• For poached eggs:
• 6 eggs
• Splash of white vinegar
• For garnish:
• 4 avocadoes, peeled and sliced
• 4 large heirloom tomatoes, sliced

Preparation

Step 1

To make hollandaise sauce, combine egg yolks, water and lemon juice in a mixing bowl. Create a double boiler by placing bowl on top of a pot filled halfway with water. Heat over medium heat, and slowly whisk the mixture until the eggs are fluffy and begin to thicken. Slowly add room-temperature clarified butter until it is incorporated. (To clarify butter, slowly melt 1 1/4 cups butter in a saucepan on low heat. Remove from heat and let sit to allow milk solids and butter to separate. Skim off the foam that rises to the top, and gently pour the butter off the milk solids, which have settled to the bottom.) Add chipotle puree and mix well. Salt and pepper to taste. Set aside while making crab cakes and poaching eggs.

For the crab cakes, remove any shells from the crabmeat and place in a large mixing bowl. Add the mustard, mayonnaise, lime zest, cilantro, chives, pickles and 1/4 cup bread crumbs to the bowl and mix well. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Shape into six equal-size cakes. Lightly coat with bread crumbs. Heat 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil in a non-stick pan. When hot, add 3 crab cakes to the pan. Cook until brown, about 2 minutes. Carefully turn and cook another 2 minutes. Remove from pan and keep warm in oven. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil, and when hot, repeat with remaining 3 crab cakes. Remove from pan and cover to keep warm.

To poach eggs, fill a large stockpot halfway with water. Bring to a boil. Add a splash of white vinegar. Slowly crack shells and allow raw eggs to slowly pour into the water. Allow to boil about 2 to 3 minutes or until soft poached. Turn off water and put crab cakes on platter. Cover each cake with sliced avocado and poached egg. Dress with chipotle hollandaise and garnish plate with tomatoes. Serve immediately.

Makes 6 servings.