Serves 6

Ingredients

Crab cakes:
  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 Tbsp. Thai or Vietnamese fish sauce
  • 1 Tbsp. ginger, peeled and minced
  • 1 Tbsp. cilantro, finely chopped
  • 1 tsp. sesame oil
  • 1 to 2 tsp. red jalapeño chile, seeded and finely chopped
  • 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
  • Zest of 1 lime, finely grated
  • 1/4 cup green onions, white and green parts, finely chopped
  • 1 pound jumbo lump crabmeat, well-drained
  • 1 1/2 cups panko
  • 6 Tbsp. canola oil
  • 4 Tbsp. unsalted butter
  • 1/2 English cucumber, sliced into matchstick-size strips
  • Cilantro sprigs, for garnish
  • Flakey sea salt, such as Maldon, for garnish

    Mango Chutney:
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 mango, pitted, peeled, cut into 1/4-inch dice
  • 1/4 cup unseasoned rice wine vinegar
  • 2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
  • Kosher salt

    Directions

    Active time: 30 minutes
    Total time: 60 minutes

    Crab Cakes: In a large bowl, whisk mayonnaise, egg, fish sauce, ginger, cilantro, sesame oil, jalapeño, salt, and lime zest; then, whisk in scallion. Add crabmeat and stir to coat, coarsely breaking apart the crabmeat, leaving small chunks. Fold in panko. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Using about 1/3 cup crab mixture each, shape into 12 (3/4"-thick) crab cakes.

    Preheat oven to 200°. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, add 3 Tbsp. canola oil and 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, and heat until hot but not smoking. Fry 6 crab cakes until crisp and golden, about 2 minutes per side, adjusting heat as needed to brown evenly without scorching. Transfer to a parchment paper–lined baking sheet and keep warm in the oven. Wipe out skillet and repeat with remaining canola oil, remaining butter, and remaining 6 crab cakes. To serve, place 2 cakes on each of 6 plates and spoon mango chutney over and alongside. Top each with English cucumber, thinly sliced and cut into matchsticks (from 1/2 cucumber); garnish with cilantro sprigs and flaky sea salt.

    Mango Chutney: Heat a medium saucepan over medium heat for 2 minutes. Add sugar and cook without stirring, tilting the pan as needed to cook evenly, until it melts into an amber caramel, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in mango, then rice wine vinegar and lime juice. Return to medium heat and stir until mango is translucent and caramel is dissolved and syrupy, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and let cool. Season to taste with kosher salt.

    You can make the chutney up to a week ahead and assemble the crab cakes up to eight hours before you’re ready to cook them. Both should be covered and refrigerated.
    • Published 06/05/2017

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