Golden Caesar Crab Cakes: A Bite-Sized Delight

Caesar Salad With Mini Crab Cakes Recipe

Description: 🦀 You’ll be glad you tried this recipe, and your friends & guests will love you! Although it takes a little extra effort to make small crab cakes, they cook in nothing flat. They can be made ahead, and cooked ahead (then reheated), or cooked at the last minute. Perfect for a brunch, luncheon, appetizer, or light, romantic supper. For a bite-sized appetizer, place mini-crabcakes on a warm serving tray. Garnish tray with small sprigs of fresh parsley and basil. Place a very small dollop of Caesar Dressing on each crabcake, top with garnish of your choice, and serve while warm. If this salad is served as a first-course to a main entree, this will serve 10 people (3 crab cakes each). The seasoning for these crab cakes was inspired by recipe #68552, which I scaled down and modified. 🥗

Cook Time: 15 minutes
Prep Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour

Nutritional Information (per serving):

• Calories: 449.1
• Fat Content: 25.4g
• Saturated Fat Content: 7.2g
• Cholesterol Content: 118.4mg
• Sodium Content: 1196.4mg
• Carbohydrate Content: 24.6g
• Fiber Content: 2.9g
• Sugar Content: 4.2g
• Protein Content: 31g

Servings: 6
Yield: 30-32 2-inch mini crabcakes

Ingredients:

Instructions:

1. Prepare the Salad: Toss together shredded romaine, purple onion, and julienned red bell pepper. Refrigerate until serving time.

2. Make the Crab Cakes Mixture: In a large bowl, mix sea salt, Old Bay Seasoning, cayenne pepper, 1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs, Dijon mustard, celery, bell pepper, onion, horseradish, mayonnaise, lemon juice, and eggs. Mix well.

3. Incorporate Crab Meat: Add lump crabmeat and gently stir, leaving crab in as large hunks as possible. If the mixture appears too soft, add the remaining breadcrumbs and gently stir. The mixture should still be somewhat soft but not runny.

4. Prepare Cornmeal Coating: Place 1/4 cup cornmeal on a large cookie sheet, scattering it to form a thin coating over the entire surface. Set aside. Also, place 1/4 cup cornmeal on a salad-sized plate.

5. Shape Crab Cakes: With a tablespoon measure, scoop crab mixture and gently place it on the cornmeal on the plate. Shape into a 2-inch patty, pressing any stray crab mixture around the edges to form a round patty. Gently turn the crab cake over to coat the second side with cornmeal. Place crab cakes on the large, cornmeal-coated cookie sheet. Repeat the process until all crab cakes are made (about 30-32), adding more cornmeal to the small plate if needed.

6. Chill the Crab Cakes: Cover the crab cakes with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, up to 24 hours.

7. Cook the Crab Cakes: In a large skillet, add canola oil to a depth of 1/4-inch. Heat over medium-high heat until hot. Add crab cakes (do not crowd) and cook until browned, then turn over and cook on the second side until browned. Total cooking time should be about 4-5 minutes. Add more oil to the pan as needed. Repeat until all crab cakes are browned on both sides.

8. Assemble the Salad: On each plate, place 1/6 of the shredded lettuce mixture. Top the salad with 5 hot crab cakes, placing one in the center. Immediately sprinkle 2 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese over the warm crab cakes. Place 12 croutons around the outer edge of the lettuce. Drizzle Caesar Salad dressing in a spiral over the crab cakes and salad. Garnish the center crab cake with parsley or basil.

9. To Serve Later: Place cooled crab cakes in a covered flat-bottomed dish, separating each layer with waxed paper. Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days. To reheat, place crab cakes in a toaster oven and toast just until hot, or place in a single layer on a cookie sheet and bake in a preheated 425-degree oven until hot, about 3-4 minutes. Do not let them dry out!

Enjoy your delicious Caesar Salad With Mini Crab Cakes, perfect for any occasion! 🥗🦀