Crab Cakes with Horseradish Cream

By á-58

Lump crabmeat is mixed with only enough bread crumbs and mayonnaise to hold it together, then coated with more crumbs and fried to a golden brown. A mixture of sour cream and horseradish provides lively accompaniment.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons drained bottled horseradish
• 1 pound lump crabmeat, picked free of shell
• 1 cup dry bread crumbs
• 3 scallions including green tops, chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• Pinch cayenne pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
• 3 tablespoons cooking oil

Details

Servings 4
Preparation time 15mins
Cooking time 30mins

Preparation

Step 1

In a small bowl, whisk together the sour cream, 1/4 cup of the mayonnaise, and the horseradish.

In a large bowl, combine the crabmeat, the remaining 1/4 cup mayonnaise, 1/4 cup of the bread crumbs, the scallions, parsley, cayenne, salt, and pepper. Shape the crab mixture into eight patties. Coat the patties with the remaining 3/4 cup bread crumbs and pat off the excess.

In a large nonstick frying pan, heat the oil over moderate heat. Working in batches if necessary, fry the cakes until golden brown and crisp, about 2 minutes. Turn and fry until golden brown on the other side, about 2 minutes longer. Drain on paper towels. Serve with the horseradish cream.

Fish Alternatives

There's really no substitute for sweet fresh crabmeat—but for a completely different taste, you could use one pound of cod, cooked and flaked.