Crab Muffins with Handmade Asian Mayo
Little muffin-shaped, mini lump crab cakes, served with a delicious homemade Asian flavored mayonnaise.
I made this on a lark years ago when I just didn’t want to pat out crab cakes. I used a mini-muffin tin that made 24 crab muffins that were one or two bites each; that still was a lot of crab muffins, so I have since halved the recipe, more than enough for 2-4 people as an appetizer or along side other accompaniments for a complete meal.
Buy a Reputable Brand of Crab Meat
Unless you’re in a coastal region with access to fresh crab meat, buy a brand like Phillips. Like all processed crab, the meat has been pasteurized by USDA law, but Phillips sells its crab meat refrigerated in see-through containers. This is a far superior product to that which is sold in a tin can that has been sitting at room temperature on a grocer’s shelf for lord-knows how long. It will make a huge difference in the the taste and aroma of your crab muffins.
Crab Muffins with Handmade Asian Mayo
Ingredients
- 1 8-oz container pasteurized lump crab meat (like, Phillips)
- 1 cup seasoned breadcrumbs (like, Progresso)
- 1/2 cup red bell pepper, finely minced
- 1 green onion, finely minced
- 2 heaping tbsp mayonnaise
- 1 large egg, blended
- 1 large egg white
- 5-6 dashes Tabasco sauce
- 1/4 tsp celery salt
- 5-6 grinds freshly ground pepper
- non-stick cooking spray (like, Pam)
- 1 large egg yolk
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp fresh or jarred ginger, minced (do not use dried)
- 1 tsp garlic, minced
- 1 tsp fresh jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped
- 1 green onion, minced
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 1 tsp premium dark soy sauce (like Pearl River Bridge)
- 1/2 tsp dried cilantro
- 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon sesame oil
- pinch fine sea salt
- 5-6 grinds freshly cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Combine the egg yolk, lemon juice, ginger, garlic, jalapeno and green onion in a food processor and process 15 seconds.
- With the motor running, slowly add the vegetable oil until the mixture emulsifies and thickens.
- Add the soy sauce, cilantro, pepper, sesame oil and salt. Pulse once or twice to blend.
- Refrigerate at least an hour before serving so it is well chilled and the flavors amalgamate.
- Preheat oven to 450°F.
- Generously coat a mini muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray.
- Mix the crab, breadcrumbs, bell pepper, green onions, mayonnaise, eggs, egg white, hot sauce, celery salt and pepper in a large bowl until well combined.
- Divide mixture evenly among 12 muffin cups. It is easiest to use a one-ounce sorbet or ice cream scoop for this purpose.
- Bake until crispy and cooked through, 30 to 35 minutes. If the crab muffins are cooked thoroughly, they will easily come loose from the muffin pan.
