Cajun Crab Cakes with Spicy Jalapeño Aioli

Whenever I have left over crab it’s time to make crab cakes! Leftover crab is something like leftover wine though, it doesn’t happen often. Trust me on this one, you will want leftover crab!  This delicious meal motivates me to have leftovers!!  In a perfect world these are best enjoyed with a nice mojito al fresco!

For the crab cake

About 1 cup of crab meat

2 tablespoons of mayonnaise (I used the kind made with olive oil) 

1 tablespoon of deli style mustard (Dijon works fine)

½ teaspoon old bay seasoning

¾ teaspoon Cajun seasoning (I use webers) 

1 finely diced stalk of celery (I know it’s not traditional but I like a little crunch)

2 tablespoons parsley

½ cup of bread crumbs 

Add all of the ingredients except for the crab meat and the bread crumbs. Mix well. 

Add the crab and toss to coat

Add the breadcrumbs and fold the mixture until well mixed

Form your crab cakes. I served these for dinner so I made 4 large but if you want to make this for an appetizer feel free to make them smaller*.

Sprinkle some additional Cajun seasoning on top of the formed crab cakes and then place them in the freezer for about 5 to 10 minutes. You want them to firm up a bit so when you cook them they stay in their cake form. I imagine you can place them in the fridge for about an hour instead but I wanted my crab cakes!   

Heat a pan to medium high heat and coat with oil. I used Canola. You want to brown the crab cakes so about 3-5 minutes each side.

*If making smaller cakes you will want to reduce freeze time as well as cook time. 

For the Jalapeño Aioli

½ cup of mayonnaise

2 garlic cloves

1 jalapeño (seeds removed if you want it less spicy) 

the juice of 1 very juicy lemon

salt and pepper to taste

Place all ingredients in a food processer or blender and blend until all combined. Place in the fridge to chill until crab cakes are ready.

Top your crab cake and ENJOY! I decided to add a bit of avocado and parsley for an extra delicious garnish.