Stone Crab Cakes and Fries
I was lucky enough to spend most of the winter in Florida this year. It was great because not only did I get to avoid the snow in Toronto and enjoy the sun and heat, it also let me cook outside on the Alchemy longer, and take advantage of some of the local ingredients. When I’m down south, I like to take advantage of the fresh seafood and I figured what better way to do that then to buy some stone crab claws and make some crab cakes.
I really try not to add too many ingredients to my crab cakes, because I want the crab meat to be the star of the recipe, so I chose a small handful of ingredients to enhance and complement the crab, without overpowering it. I also added an egg, which is a practical ingredient, to help the crab cakes bind together. The crab cakes also go into the freezer for about 10-15 minutes before they go on grill, to help them stay formed. Aside from the crab and egg, I used just three ingredients: shallot, celery, and fresh dill.
The crab cakes get fried up on the Alchemy plancha in some canola oil and drizzled with lemon juice while cooking. They are ready to come off the grill when the outside is a nice golden brown, about 6-7 minutes each side. I also made a delicious homemade tartar sauce to go with the crab cakes. The mix of mayo with the horseradish, Dijon mustard, cornichons and lemon juice, is a creamy, tangy, tasty match for the crab cakes. And last but certainly not least, I made delicious thick-cut fries to go with my stone crab cakes. So easy to make and so so good. I cut up a large white potato into to thick fries and fried them up in canola oil in a cast iron on the plancha until they were golden brown. Crispy on the outside, pillowy and potato-y on the inside. I served up a healthy portion of fries alongside my crab cakes, added a healthy dollop of homemade tartar sauce to the plate, a wedge of lemon, and then garnished my stone grab cakes with Maldon salt and chopped green onions. If you want to find out how to make my Stone Crab Cakes and Fries, keep reading or jump to the full recipe.
Remove the crab meat from the shell and place in a bowl.
Finely chop the shallot, celery and ¼ cup of fresh dill and add to the stone crab meat. Crack an egg into the bowl and mix until well combined.
Form three crab cake patties with your hands. Place them in the freezer for 10-15 minutes to hold together better when frying.
In a separate bowl mix together the mayo, horseradish, grainy Dijon mustard, finely chopped cornichons and a ¼ cup of the chopped fresh dill.
Mix together and squeeze in the juice from one lemon, mix and set aside.
Add oil to a cast iron pan on the plancha. Cut your potato into thick-cut fries. Add to the oil. Let them cook until golden brown, flipping midway.
Place the crab cakes onto the plancha. Drizzle some of the hot oil from the French fries onto the crab cakes.
Allow to cook and flip midway, squeeze the juice from half a lemon on top then keep cooking until both sides are golden brown. Cook each side about 6-7 minutes.
To serve, add your French fries to the plate and spread some of the tartar sauce down, add the stone crab cakes on top, sprinkle with Maldon salt, chopped green onion and a wedge of lemon.
And now for the full recipe...
Stone Crab Cakes and Fries
Makes 3 crab cakes
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
2 lbs Stone crab claws (shell on)
1 shallot
1 stalk celery
½ cup fresh dill, divided
1 egg
4-5 tbsp mayo
1-2 tbsp horseradish
1 tbsp grainy Dijon mustard
2 cornichons
Juice from 1 lemon
Canola oil for frying
1 large white potato
Juice from ½ lemon
Maldon salt
1-2 green onions, chopped
Wedge of lemon for garnish
How to Make Stone Crab Cakes and Fries
Remove the crab meat from the shell and place in a bowl. Finely chop the shallot, celery and ¼ cup of fresh dill and add to the stone crab meat. Crack an egg into the bowl and mix until well combined. Form three crab cake patties with your hands. Place them in the freezer for 10-15 minutes to hold together better when frying.
In a separate bowl mix together the mayo, horseradish, grainy Dijon mustard, finely chopped cornichons and a ¼ cup of the chopped fresh dill. Mix together and squeeze in the juice from one lemon, mix and set aside.
Add oil to a cast iron pan on the plancha. Cut your potato into thick-cut fries. Add to the oil. Let them cook until golden brown, flipping midway.
Place the crab cakes onto the plancha. Drizzle some of the hot oil from the French fries onto the crab cakes. Allow to cook and flip midway, squeeze the juice from half a lemon on top then keep cooking until both sides are golden brown. Cook each side about 6-7 minutes.
To serve, add your French fries to the plate and spread some of the tartar sauce down, add the stone crab cakes on top, sprinkle with Maldon salt, chopped green onion and a wedge of lemon.
