Thai Style Crab Cakes

By Mark Bittman

Published September 15, 2009

  • Evan Sung for The New York Times
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
45 minutes
Rating
5(617)
Comments
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This is a formidable crab cake in a style that mimics tod mun, the Thai fish cake that, when made right, packs astonishing flavor. These cakes require shrimp purée as a binder; scallops will also work in place of the shrimp. Just stick a few in a small food processor and whiz for a few seconds, or chop and mash by hand.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

  • 6 medium raw shrimp, shelled, washed and deveined

  • 1 teaspoon nam pla (fish sauce)

  • 1 pound fresh lump crab meat, picked over for cartilage

  • 1 egg

  • ¼ cup chopped scallion

  • ¼ cup chopped cilantro

  • 1 fresh chili, preferably Thai, minced

  • 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger

  • Salt

  • freshly ground black pepper

  • 2 to 3 tablespoons bread crumbs, preferably fresh

  • About ½ cup all-purpose flour for dredging

  • Peanut or vegetable oil as needed

  • Lime wedges for serving

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

17 grams carbs; 162 milligrams cholesterol; 197 calories; 1 gram monosaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 2 grams fat; 1 gram fiber; 847 milligrams sodium; 25 grams protein; 1 gram sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Purée shrimp in a food processor (smaller is better) until you have a smooth paste, or chop and mash by hand. Add fish sauce. In a bowl, mix the shrimp purée, crab meat, egg, scallion, cilantro, chili, ginger and salt and pepper; add just enough bread crumbs to stiffen mixture a bit. Refrigerate mixture until you are ready to cook; it will be easier to shape into cakes if you refrigerate it for 30 minutes or more.

  2. Step 2

    Season flour with salt and pepper. Film bottom of a large skillet with oil and place over medium-high heat. Shape crab meat mixture into cakes 1 inch thick and as wide as you want. Dredge each in flour, and cook, adjusting heat as necessary and turning once (very gently), until golden brown on both sides, about 5 minutes a side. Serve with lime wedges.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
617 user ratings
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Comments

Ryan Quiroz

I made these for a neighborhood potluck and got people laid. I really fluffed my raw shrimp paste with my knife and folded into my whisked eggs, this make the most beautiful batter with least crumbs, I used a large cast iron skillet and was able to omit the flour, lightening the gluten. And making a to die for cake. 3/4" by1 1/2" cooked and held in a 325F oven until Showtime. Citrus really brighten these

Wendy

Delicious with a Thai dipping sauce made with lime juice or rice vinegar, sugar, fish sauce, a pinch of red pepper flakes and some finely chopped garlic

BarryinSF

I liked these very much. I followed the advice of someone else and rolled them in panko instead of flour. I also turned up the heat and used 3 Thai chilies. This is a Thai recipe, after all, right? Finally, I made a sandwich with it by taking coleslaw, a sliced tomato, and putting it all in a sourdough roll and topping it with sriracha mayo. Was fantastic.

Hayley

Wow wow wow! I only used about 1tbsp of bread crumbs. They were so full of crab and no filler. Really loved these and will be making them again! I didn’t have chilis so I used crushed red pepper flakes and they turned out great!

Matt

I made this for some friends and it was a huge hit. I whipped the egg and shrimp in a NutriBullet, and it made such a thick emulsion I didn't need to add any bread crumbs at all. Pairs very nicely with this salad: https://body-change.today/recipes/1026106-spicy-cucumbers-with-mint-scallions-and-crushed-peanuts?smid=share-url

constable

Lime zest or kaffir

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