Crab Cakes with Pasilla Chili Aioli
Submitted by melisssa
Southwestern crab cakes with carrots, celery, and cayenne, pan-fried golden and served with a smoky pasilla chili aioli made with pimientos, white wine, and garlic.
YIELD
8 servingsPREP
10 minCOOK
30 minREADY
40 minWhere the Chesapeake Bay meets the Southwest in one killer plate. These crab cakes pack minced carrots and celery right into the mix, giving them a fresh crunch that contrasts with the tender crab.
But the real conversation starter is the pasilla chili aioli. Dried pasilla chili gets toasted with pimientos and garlic, deglazed with white wine and lemon juice, reduced with chicken broth, then blended into mayo for a smoky, earthy sauce with real depth.
Fresh breadcrumbs from white bread keep the coating light and crispy rather than heavy, and the cakes cook up golden in about four minutes flat.
Kitchen Tips
- Remove the seeds and stems from the dried pasilla before cutting. The seeds carry most of the heat, so removing them keeps the aioli smoky rather than fiery.
- Pat the pimientos dry before cooking. Extra moisture dilutes the flavor and makes the aioli too thin.
- Make the aioli ahead and let it chill. The flavors deepen and meld in the fridge. It keeps well for a couple of days.
- Drop the crab mixture directly into the breadcrumbs and coat from there. Trying to shape first and coat after leads to broken cakes.
Ingredients
Directions
- Mix crab, mayonnaise, carrots, celery, and lemon juice. Add salt and pepper and cayenne to taste.
2.
Tear bread into chunks; whirl in a blender or food processor until crumbs form; mound crumbs on a plate.
Drop ¼ cup portions crab mixture into crumbs, and sprinkle crumbs over top; pat into ½"-thick cakes.
3.
Place a 10-12” nonstick frying pan over medium heat. Lightly coat pan with oil and cook cakes, using a wide spatula to turn once, until browned on both sides, about 4 minutes total. 4. Place cakes on salad plates; keep warm. Garnish with cilantro. Add aioli to taste. *** PASILLA CHILI AIOLI *** 1. Remove and discard stems and seeds from dried pasilla; rinse chili. With scissors, cut the chili in ½ inch pieces. 2. Drain pimientos; pat dry. 3. In a 10-12” frying pan combine olive oil, chili, pimientos and Stir over medium heat for 2 minutes. Add wine and lemon juice. Stir over high heat until most of the liquid evaporates, about 1 minute. Add chicken broth; boil, uncovered, until liquid is reduced to ¼ cup, about 2 minutes. Let cool. 4. Whirl mixture in a blender or food processor with mayonnaise Add salt and pepper to taste. Makes ½ cup.
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