Avocado Crab Cakes

Avocado Crab Cakes sends an ordinary crab cake right off the charts! This recipe has big chunks of crab mixed with cubes of fresh avocado that gives a creamy, full flavor bite! Dip it in a Sriracha dipping sauce for added zing!

This recipe for Avocado crab cakes came about from my current addiction to great avocados. It’s kind of like bacon in my world…. Add avocado to anything and it suddenly gets better. (Don’t even get me started how wonderful I think a BLT with avocado is!!)

I have family in Alaska and up until a few years ago, they would send us a shipment of Alaskan King crab legs from friends of theirs who actually fished them. I kid you not the crab legs were HUGE! As thick as my forearm?! I miss those days. The family that fished them has since retired so that happy care package doesn’t show up anymore.

You can get great crab legs at the grocery store, even Costco carries some pretty large ones occasionally.

When making crab cakes you want to get crab legs and then break apart the crab to smaller bite-sized pieces or you can buy it in cans.

You’ll have to buy the cans marked chunk or lump crabmeat. This is critical because otherwise the crab is almost pureed. The crab cake will still have good flavor, but the texture will be too mushy.

Getting the lump/chunk pieces of crab really gives the Avocado Crab Cake a nice bite to it. It pairs really well with the creaminess of the avocado.

BREAKDOWN OF AVOCADO CRAB CAKES:

EASY/DIFFICULT: Medium. They are simple to mix up, but you do need to allow them to set in the fridge for an hour so you do have to plan ahead. Frying them in oil isn’t difficult, but you do need to cook them slowly and be careful when flipping them to not splatter the oil.

MAKE AHEAD/MADE TO ORDER: You can prepare them ahead of the time you are ready to serve them, but you need to fry them right before serving for best results. That being said, you can warm them in the oven if there are any leftovers, they just aren’t as crispy as they were when made originally.

BONUS: While I am suggesting these Avocado Crab Cakes as an appetizer, they work equally well atop a salad. The Sriracha dipping sauce can be thinned out with some additional lemon juice and used as a salad dressing. ***added bonus: The Sriracha dipping sauce works well on any sandwich you make too!

ALCOHOL PAIRING: A white wine such as a Riesling or Chardonnay would go well with the crab and spiciness of the Sriracha dipping sauce. A cold beer would also be great!  If you want a cocktail I think this drink is perfect!

If you like anything coated in panko like these crabcakes are you will love this recipe for Gruyere Salami Risotto Balls.

Enjoy! ~m

Yield: 8 crab cakes

Avocado Crab cakes with Sriracha dipping sauce

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Avocado Crab Cakes sends an ordinary crab cake right off the charts! This recipe has big Chunks of crab mixed with cubes of fresh avocado that gives a creamy, full flavor bite! Dip it in a Sriracha dipping sauce for added zing!

Prep Time 1 hour 15 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 small onion, minced
• 3 stalks celery, minced
• 4 tbsp red bell pepper, seeded and cut to small dice
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
• 1 pound lump crab meat, see notes about canned/fresh
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 teaspoon mustard powder
• 1 teaspoon parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon seasoning salt, Lawry's or old bay work well
• 1 pieces avocado, removed from skin, discard pit and dice into small )
• 1/2 cup homemade mayo, or your favorite store-bought brand
• 3/4 cup Panko Bread Crumbs (divided)
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan Cheese
• 1/4 cup olive oil, see instructions
• Sriracha Dipping sauce, recipe in notes: 

Instructions

1. On the stovetop, heat a large skillet to medium high, then add butter and allow to melt. Swirl butter to coat entire bottom.
2. Once butter melted and covering the entire pan add onions, celery, bell pepper, garlic and saute until everything is softened. About 5-8 minutes.
3. Then sprinkle cayenne over top and stir for 1 minute. Remove pan from heat and allow to cool.
4. In a bowl place crab in the bottom and break up crab to small bite sized pieces.
5. Add softened vegetables, parsley, mustard powder, seasoning salt and mix well.
6. Add 1/2 cup mayo, 1/4 cup panko and beaten eggs and mix thoroughly.
7. At the last minute add avocado and stir gently to keep avocado in chunks for the crab cake.
8. Place remaining panko and parmesan in bowl and mix well.
9. Make crab cakes into round discs about 1" thick and 3" wide.
10. Coat all sides of the crab cake with the panko/parmesan mix and place on a plate.
11. Cover with plastic wrap and place formed crab cakes in the refrigerator to set for a minimum of 1 hour, up to 8 hours.
12. When ready to fry crab cakes add 1/4 cup oil to bottom of pan and heat to the point where you drop a small bit of panko in the pan and it immediately bubbles and floats. Thats how you know the oil is hot enough. (Oil that is not hot enough will cause you to have greasy crab cakes.)
13. I suggest 1/4 cup of olive oil, but it depends on the size of your pan. The oil should be about 1/2" deep in the pan.
14. Once oil is hot, place crab cakes in pan with plenty of room in between. (I allow about 2" between cakes)
15. You may need to fry in batches depending on the size of your pan.
16. Fry crab cakes for 4-6 minutes on the first side, making sure they are golden brown before flipping. Flip to other side and repeat until golden brown. (usually a little less time on the second side.)
17. Remove to paper towel lined plate to drain of any excess oil.
18. If you are frying in batches you can place the first batch in a 250 degree oven to keep them warm.
19. Repeat frying process until complete.
20. Serve crab cakes immediately with dipping sauce. (recipe follows.)

Notes

I prefer using crab legs and removing the meat from the shells. Then breaking the meat into small bite sized chunks. However, that can get expensive so I do buy crabmeat in a can often. Make sure to buy chunk or lump so the meat is in bigger pieces.

Sriracha dipping sauce: 1/2 cup mayo, 2-3 tablespoons sriracha sauce, 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice -- store and serve along side crabcakes.

All recipe calorie information was calculated on what I purchased to make this recipe in My Fitness Pal. When you make the recipe, the calorie content could vary depending on what specific ingredients/brands you actually use. Please take that into consideration if you are following a strict diet.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

8

Serving Size:

8 crab cakes
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 283Carbohydrates: 22gFiber: 2gSugar: 1gProtein: 14g

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