Crab Cakes with Roasted Pepper Aioli
For me the key to a good crab cake is simplicity. I like to make the crab the star of the show, and keep the other filler ingredients like breadcrumbs to a minimum.
In this Whole30 Crab Cake recipe each cake is packed full of crab with just a small amount of almond flour to help hold everything together. I added in some finely diced red pepper to give the cakes some texture, and some chopped green onions and mustard for a kick of flavour.
One of my biggest frustrations with making crab cakes is how easily they self destruct in the frying pan. It took me some time to master the perfect egg to flour to crab ratio for this recipe to ensure the crab cakes were as easy to flip as possible. If you are worried they won’t hold together, or are making larger sized patties, I suggest putting the mixture in the fridge for 10 minutes to firm up before frying.
I served these Whole30 crab cakes with a delicious tangy roasted red pepper mayonnaise. You can use store bought mayonnaise, but to keep things completely natural I made my own. Homemade mayonnaise is really easy to make, it requires just a handful of ingredients and can be made in under 5 minutes.
If you make this recipe let me know in the comment section below, I would love to hear what you think or take a photo and tag me (@everylastbite_) on Instagram, I love seeing your photos!
Crab Cakes with Roasted Red Pepper Mayonnaise
Ingredients
- 2 cups crab
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp mustard
- 1/2 red bell pepper finely diced
- 1/4 cup green onions finely chopped
- 1 tbsp parsley chopped
- 1 egg*
- 1/3 cup almond flour
- 1 tsp vegetable oil for frying
Roasted Red Pepper Mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1 clove garlic crushed
- 1/4 cup roasted red pepper
- 1/2 tsp paprika
Instructions
- In a bowl combine all of the ingredients for the crab cakes except the vegetable oil and stir until well mixed.
- Using a spoon form patties approximately 3 inches in diameter.
- Heat the vegetable oil in a frying pan over medium heat and fry the crab cakes for 2-3 minutes per side until crisp and golden in colour.
- To make the mayonnaise combine all of the ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth.
- Serve the crab cakes topped with the roasted red pepper mayonnaise and wedges of lemon.
Nutrition
I’ve made these a few times, without the peppers since I don’t eat nightshades. They are delicious and come together easily. It’s a great weeknight recipe and a good way to get more seafood in my diet.
could you add whole kernal – drained- to this sauce?
I was also wondering which substitute you would use for the egg?
Can I use a different oil for frying? And why is there an asterisk next to the egg? Looking forward to making! Thanks!
DELICIOUS. My whole30 savior – thank you!
Happy they were a hit!
How does your red pepper aioli stay thick? I have tried and tried to no avail.
10/10 recommend! We eat the leftovers for breakfast with a poached egg
OMG that is an incredible idea to top it with an egg! Sounds so good!
Can the bell pepper be left out? I do t tolerate them very well. Can’t wait to try these!
Yes you can definitely leave red peppers out of the crab cakes, it won’t make a big difference in the end result. With regard to the aioli I recommend using a mayonnaise or toum instead.
Recipe says to combine all ingredients and then ask for the crushed garlic and red pepper in sauce…do garlic and red pepper go in both?
Sorry! I’ve updated the recipe so its hopefully more clear, everything for the crab cakes should be combined for step one. The roasted red pepper and garlic should be used for the aioli. Hopefully the headers for each section are more clear.
Can’t wait to try these. Just one question – is it possible to bake them instead of frying them? If so, for how long / what temp?
Thank you!
I have never tried baking them so I can’t say for sure that it will work and they will hold together. Personally I would stick to frying them as it will give them a nice crisp crust, I suspect that they will be mushier if baked in the oven.
Looks delicious! What kind of crab do you use? I’ve seen recipes call for lump crab meat (from a can)
I have never tried using canned crab meat for this recipe, but I think it would work for these. I personally buy fresh white crab meat from my local fishmonger.