Serves
Yield: 8 crab cakes
Ingredients
Creamy mustard chive sauce:
4 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided, plus more as needed
1 medium shallot, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup dry white wine, such as Pinot Gris or Viognier
1/2 cup crème fraîche or sour cream
3 tablespoons whole-grain Dijon mustard
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 tablespoons chives, finely chopped, divided
Crab cakes:
1 pound lump crab meat (any type of crab meat will work)
8 saltine crackers, finely crushed, or 1/4 cup panko
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, for pan-frying
Procedure
To prepare crab cakes: Carefully pick through crab meat and remove any shell fragments or cartilage. Transfer crabmeat to a bowl and set aside.
To a large bowl, add saltines, egg, mayonnaise, mustard, Worcestershire, Old Bay, and parsley; mix. Gently fold in crab, being careful to only mix enough to combine the ingredients; lightly season with salt and pepper.
In a small skillet with a little oil, fry a small spoonful of crab mixture until cooked through. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper, if necessary. Shape mixture into 8 crab cakes and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
To prepare creamy mustard chive sauce: To a small saucepan over medium heat, add 2 tablespoons oil and shallot. Cook until shallot begins to turn translucent, 2 to 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook until aromatic, about 30 seconds. Pour in white wine and reduce by half. Once reduced, remove the saucepan from heat, and whisk in crème fraîche and mustard. Using an immersion blender, process until smooth. Season with salt and pepper, stir in 2 tablespoons chives, and set aside.
To cook crab cakes: To a large, nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, add oil. Season crab cakes generously with salt and pepper. When the oil is shimmering, carefully slide crab cakes into the skillet using a fish spatula and spacing cakes about 2 inches apart. Cook until golden brown on both sides, 2 to 3 minutes per side.
To serve: Spoon sauce down onto a serving platter or individual plates, top with crab cakes and garnish with remaining chives. Serve immediately.
