Restaurants, Food and Drink |

Dungeness recipe: Mendocino’s First Prize Crab Cakes

Serves 4

1 pound fresh crab meat

1 teaspoon unsalted butter

3 tablespoons minced shallots

1 extra-large egg, beaten

Finely grated zest of 1 lemon

¼ cup mayonnaise (preferably homemade)

1 ½ tablespoons minced flat-leaf parsley

2 drops Tabasco sauce

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

¾ teaspoon sea salt

6 tablespoons panko crumbs, measured, then ground using a food processor

Coating: 1 ½ cups panko crumbs, ground in a food processor and seasoned with ½ teaspoon each sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Safflower oil, for frying

1. Rinse and pick over crab meat, discarding any pieces of shell or cartilage. Break up lumps (Most recipes say to leave them whole but this can cause the cakes to fall apart). Set aside.
2. In a small skillet set over low heat, melt butter and saute shallots. Let cool.
3. Mix together the cooled shallots, egg, lemon zest, mayonnaise, parsley, Tabasco, pepper, salt and 6 tablespoons panko crumbs. Let sit 15 minutes, then mix thoroughly with crab.
4. Form into 8 patties, and dredge in the seasoned panko crumbs. Refrigerate on a tray for at least an hour.
5. When ready to cook, add safflower oil (or another neutral oil) to a large skillet so that the oil is about ¼-inch deep. Head over medium high to high heat. When oil is hot, add crab cakes 4 at a time, being careful not to crowd the pan. Cook until richly browned on both sides, drain briefly on paper towels and serve immediately. Serve with lemon aioli (see recipe below) or your favorite sauce.

Herb Lemon Aioli

1 1/4 cups mayonnaise (storebought or homemade)

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 teaspoons minced garlic

Finely grated zest of 2 lemons (organic preferably)

2 tablespoons minced chives

1 tablespoon minced parsley

2 teaspoons minced tarragon

2 pinches freshly ground black pepper

1 pinch cayenne

Mix above in the bowl of a food processor fitted with an S-blade, until well blended.

Mayonnaise

Makes 2 1/4 cups

2 eggs

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon sea salt

2 cups canola oil

In the bowl of a food processor fitted with an S-blade, place eggs, lemon juice, Dijon mustard and sea salt. Blend to combine thoroughly, then with processor still running, add oil very slowly until mayonnaise thickens. Cover and refrigerate up to 4 days.

— Chef Margaret Fox, Harvest Market, Fort Bragg, CA

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Find more Mendocino food, wine and travel ideas at www.mercurynews.com/tag/mendocino-travel.