Crab Cakes Benedict
Crab cakes. . . . homemade hollandaise sauce. . . tomato, spinach, a poached egg on a sourdough English muffin? Only if its mothers day and you come stay at our place for the weekend. Or if you subscribe a cool blog and can give it a try yourself. This is one of our favorite breakfasts. This day I decided to make it with crab cakes. It was soooooo delicious and I’m getting pressure from the future mother in law to make this post so she can snag the recipe. Well here you go!
Lets start with the star of the show, although the supporting cast is pretty amazing too when you throw in a homemade hollandaise.
Crab Cake Ingredients
- 1/3 cup mayo
- chopped onion
- chopped celery
- chopped bell pepper
- 1 pound lump crab meat
- 1 egg
- 1/3 cup panko bread crumbs; plus more for dredge
- 1tsp Worcestershire sauce
- a squeeze of fresh lemon
- 1 tsp old bay seasoning
- 1tsp dry mustard
- dash of cayenne pepper
- salt and pepper to taste
- oil of choice for cooking
I like to saute my celery, onion, and bell pepper in a little butter before I mix everything together, this is personal choice but if you choose to cook them a bit, don’t overdo it. Mush veg in a crab cake defeats the purpose of adding some texture in my opinion.
Simply mix all ingredients together except for oil and roll the desired size balls of cakes. Flatten them a bit and then roll each side in a bit of dry panko. Finally drop them into your pan of preheated oil (medium heat) and flip them once you have a nice golden brown texture; about 4-5 minutes per side. Set them aside for the heavenly assembly.
Hollandaise Sauce
- 4 egg yolks
- 1tbs fresh lemon juice
- a pinch of cayenne pepper
- 1 stick of unsalted butter
- salt to taste
Note: I used clarified butter when making this, it is not required, but more traditional.
Start by whisking the egg yolks and lemon juice in a bowl until they become almost fluffy. This could take some pretty vigorous whisking so wear your sweat band.
Once you have this done, place the bowl over some very slight simmering water (double boiler) and do not let this get to warm; it can cook your eggs which you do not want. Continue whisking and slowly stream in the melted butter. Once all of the butter has been incorporated, remove from heat and add the cayenne and salt to taste.
You could certainly use one of those mix packets as well but I can guarantee that it just isn’t the same wonderful flavor. Hollandaise is pretty easy to make once you get the hang of it; don’t be afraid.
Egg poaching
While this may seem pretty straight forward, poaching an egg can be extremely frustrating. I’ve even gotten to a point when making them to say in much more colorful language, “heck with this, I’m just frying this sucker”. Spend some time practicing poached egg technique, its a nice skill to have in your pocket.
I use a very large pot of simmering water that I have added a good splash of white vinegar too. The vinegar helps keep the whites tight when you drop the egg. I also swirl my water into a sort of slow whirl pool. I don’t know where I picked this up, but again, it helps keep the egg together
Tip: crack your egg into a small bowl before you drop it into the simmering water. This will help contain the egg white as you gently pour it into the pot vs. cracking and dropping.
Drop the egg into the water as instructed and let it swim for 3-4 minutes or until desired consistency. the egg whites should be light and fluffy with a runny yolk. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside for the stacking.
Time for the assembly
Start by placing a toasted English muffin on a plate; I used a sourdough version that my grocery store had. Next, place a single crab cake on top of the muffin and then a slice of nice red ripe tomato. Top the tomato with some baby spinach and gently place one of the poached eggs on top of the vegetables. Spoon some magic sauce over the entire Benedict and dust with some paprika to show off.
The last step is to decide who gets the first one. I would recommend slipping into another room and devouring it yourself. Take a something to wipe your face; no sense in admitting your guilt here. Its forgivable.
Conclusion
Probably not the easiest recipe out there but it can absolutely impress your guests. If you get the hang of the sauce, and egg poaching you can supplement any protein and other ingredients you want. I’ve made these in a plethora of styles. Canadian bacon, regular bacon, motzarella cheese, tomatos and basil. Its a pretty versatile dish. I cubed up a cantaloupe for everyone to share as well.