Friday, December 5, 2008

Thai Crab Cakes - Boo Jah


An auspicious confluence of events led to the making these crab cakes. The most important was the opening of Oregon's commercial crabbing season. That tied in nicely with a Regional Recipes event whose focus this month is Thailand. The event is being hosted by Darlene, at Blazing Hot Wok. This recipe is simple to do and can be ready for the pan in 10 minutes. In Thailand, the crab is combined with pork and then packed into shells which are steamed prior to frying. My preparation is much simpler --- the same crab mixture is formed into patties and quickly sauted. I use frozen, thawed pork in my version of the recipe. I've found it to be more crumbly than its fresh counterpart; that makes for easier mixing and allows the crab to remain in chunks while assuring the pork is evenly distributed for cooking. The crab cakes are mildly flavored so be sure to offer a spicy sauce for serving. I've included one here, but Thai chili sauce or mayonnaise mixed with sriracha sauce will also do nicely. Sa Nook!

Thai Crab Cakes - Boo Jah


Ingredients:

1 tablespoon chopped fresh garlic
1 tablespoon chopped cilanto stems
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon Thai fish sauce
1 teaspoon light soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
3/4 pound fresh lump crabmeat
1/2 pound frozen ground pork, thawed
1/2 cup panko
1 handful cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped
1 large egg, lightly beaten
Flour for dredging
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Directions:
1) Combine garlic, cilantro stems and leaves, water, fish sauce, soy sauce, salt and pepper in the bowl of a small food processor or blender jar. Process until nearly smooth.
2) Combine crabmeat, pork, panko, cilantro, egg and garlic-cilantro mixture in a medium bowl and mix gently. Shape into 8 cakes, each about 3-inches in diameter.
3) Put flour on a plate; dredge both sides of crabcakes in flour. Set aside.
4) Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet set over medium-high heat. Working in two batches, add 4 cakes to oil and saute, turning once, until cakes are golden brown and cooked through, about 4 minutes per side. Drain on paper towels. Transfer to a serving platter. Garnish as desired and serve with a sauce. Yield: 8 crab cakes.

Spicy Garlic Sauce


Ingredients:
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon chili-garlic sauce (i.e. Sri Racha) or 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Directions:
1) Place sugar, vinegar, water, garlic and salt in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over moderate heat. Simmer, stirring to dissolve sugar, for 8 to 10 minutes, or until a thin syrup forms. Remove from heat. Add chili-garlic sauce or pepper flakes and set aside to cool.
2) To store, place in a glass jar and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature prior to serving. Yield: 1 cup.

This recipe is adapted from one created by Nancie McDermott.

14 comments :

Soli Deo Gloria said...

This is a family favorite! The kids specially love it! :)

Allie said...

I love crab cakes! I will try this one for sure with the pork and I'm always looking to try new sauces with it.

Cathy said...

Perfect timing, Mary. My local market will get their first shipment of dungeness today. Your crabcakes sound heavenly.

Dee said...

Mary, this is a wonderful recipe on so many levels! It's delicious and indeed very Thai, and you've been able to incorporate fresh local crab.
Ah-roy dee! (=very delicious!)

Thank you for participating!

The Blonde Duck said...

I've seen you around on blogs and wanted to say hi!

Mary Bergfeld said...

Blonde Duck (Miranda?), I sure hope they're not using my name in vain again! Welcome --- I hope you found something here that interested you enough to come back again.

Pam said...

These crab cakes are calling my name Mary. They looks so good - the sauce sounds fantastic too.

Tiina said...

The crab cakes look delicious! And I especially like tyour recipe for the sauce.

Peter M said...

Ahh, Panko for binding too, eh? This is my first sighting of a Thai crab cake and I know it would be a hit at my table.

Anonymous said...

I just wanted to let you know that I made the Sister Sarah's Apple Pudding tonight--it just came out of the oven--and it's fantastic! And I haven't even frosted it yet!

The whole house smells wonderful and very holiday-ish.

I added a chopped up pear because I like pears and the poor thing was circling the drain....it's delicious!

Thank you! Love your blog!

sparkly jules

Mary Bergfeld said...

Jules, I love to hear that my recipes are being used. Lilah was a very special lady and she's be thrilled to know the treasures from her kitchen are passed on. You'd love both Lilah and Claire.

KC said...

Your crab cakes look absolutely delicious. Unfortunately, I don't make them because we don't have the self-control to leave the cooked crab alone. It will all be eaten as the crab meat is being stripped.

Mary Bergfeld said...

KC, I can understand how that might happen during crabbing season! Thanks so much for stopping by. I hope you'll come again and again.

test it comm said...

These sound really good. Bookmarked

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