Crab Cakes w/ Spicy, Garlic Aioli and Pesto Pastina

The Debate
So, the “big debate” surrounding crab cakes, is the style! Though there are many styles in existence, the most prominent in America are the Maryland and the Louisiana style crab cakes.

Most crab cake recipes begin with the same ingredients like mayonnaise, mustard, bread crumbs, and seasonings. The seasoning is all a matter of personal preference! ‘Old Bay’ seasoning tends to be the seasoning of choice for Maryland crab cakes. However, I am more of a fan of the Louisiana/Cajun style, which I am featuring here.

Many recipes for crab cakes are made using blue crab which can be found starting in the waters near Nova Scotia, Canada, through the Gulf of Mexico, and all the way down to South America. However, for the simplicity of this blog, you can use any kind of crab you can find. I buy my crab at Sam’s Club (Paramount Reserve Premium Lump Crab Meat). It’s pasteurized so can be refrigerated for up to 2 months if unopened. In some areas crab is not easily found so you could (if hard pressed) use imitation crab.

Louisiana/Cajun Crab Cake Recipe

Ingredients
16 ounces crabmeat
1 cup plain bread crumbs
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/2 tablespoon hot sauce
1/2 tablespoon Cajun seasoning
2 small (or 1 large) eggs
1/2 red onion, minced
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Vegetable oil, for pan-frying
Parsley to garnish

Directions
1. Flake the crabmeat into a large bowl and add the bread crumbs, mustard, hot sauce, Cajun seasoning, eggs and onion. Fold ingredients well but don't overwork - you want to preserve the integrity of the crab lumps.

2. Divide the mixture into 8 balls and flatten slightly to form the cakes. (The recipe can be made to this point and the cakes can be refrigerated overnight or frozen for up to 1 week.)

3. Pour 1/4- 1/2 inch of vegetable oil into a medium saucepan and heat over medium-high. When oil is hot, fry the cakes in batches until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side. (*Laurie’s Note: You can temp your oil to 350-375 degrees with a thermometer, but I eyeball it until it “shimmers”. You can take a droplet of water and drip it onto the oil. If it spatters a lot, the oil is too hot! If it just “dances around” on top of the oil, it’s the right temperature. DO NOT use too much water or you’ll have a hot, splattering mess!) After frying the cakes, remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Keep warm in a low oven (250 degrees) until ready to serve.

Spicy, Garlic Aioli Recipe

Ingredients
3/4 cup mayonnaise
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Directions
Add all the ingredients to a small bowl and stir until combined. Refrigerate as needed.

*Laurie’s Note: My nephew Nate refers to aioli as “fancy mayo”! LOL!! You can doctor up your aioli however you see fit! I like my aioli a little thinner as I’m not a fan of the muted flavor and custardy, thicker texture of mayo that some may prefer. So, when I make aioli, I add some sweet pickle juice from the pickles I have canned (Grandma’s recipe coming later this summer). If you don’t have sweet pickles, you can use Miracle Whip instead of Mayo or add a sprinkle of sugar to sweeten. If you prefer a more tangy “tartar sauce” taste, you can add dill pickle juice, olive juice or a few drops of balsamic vinegar to the recipe.

Pesto Pastina Recipe

Ingredients
2 c. cooked pastina pasta (or substitute any small-sized pasta)
1 clove garlic roughly chopped
1 cup packed basil leaves
⅓ cup olive oil or more as needed
Freshly ground pepper to taste
Kosher salt as needed
3 tablespoons finely grated Pecorino Romano cheese (or another hard Italian grating cheese like Asiago, Parmigiano-Reggiano or Romano)

Directions
Pesto: Place the garlic and basil in a food processor or blender and pulse until everything is roughly chopped. Add the oil and pepper and process, scraping down the sides, part way through, until everything is well blended. If it is very thick, add more olive oil. Add the cheese and pulse until blended in. Taste and add salt if needed.
Dish: Once pesto is made, toss hot, cooked pasta in the sauce. If it is still too thick, you may add additional olive oil and serve.

*Laurie’s Note: This is a nut free version of traditional pesto. Classic pesto is usually made with pine nuts, but not in this recipe. I am not a fan of pine nuts, but moreover, many people have nut allergies and don’t think to ask about nut-based ingredients in a sauce! Better safe, than sorry!
*Laurie’s Storage Note: If you want to make extra pesto, you could freeze it in ice cube trays for use later. You can also use a similar technique by mushing it out in a thin layer in a zipper top freezer bag. It takes up less space and you can break off pieces in the sizes you need, as you need them.