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Starters & Main Courses |
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| Recipe Archive > Starters & Main Courses > |
Cromer Crab Fish Cake With A Sweet Chilli Dipping Sauce
(Serves 4 (allowing 3 fish cakes per person))
When I used to live in Norfolk, there were few things more enjoyable than taking a trip to the coastal towns of Cromer or Sheringham on a glorious sunny day to buy freshly caught crabs from the 'Crabbies' (the crab fishermen). They would cook and dress the crabs and sell them the same day they were caught from their little family run shops around the harbour.
Use both meats from the inside of the shell. The soft brown meat adds flavour while the white meat, considered the best part of the crab, adds a lovely shredded crabby texture as well as flavour.
See Tip Below
Equipment & Ingredients
All the ingredients below are available in large supermarkets.
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2 fresh, medium sized dressed crabs |
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115g / 4oz cooked, freshly peeled prawns |
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225g / 8oz white fish, cut into small cubes |
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2 tsps peeled, freshly chopped ginger root |
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4 spring onions, chopped (green stems removed) |
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1 bird's eye chilli, finely chopped |
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2 tsps dark premium soy |
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1 tbls Thai fish sauce (Nam Pla) |
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1 tbls coriander leaves, finely chopped |
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1 egg white, very lightly beaten |
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2 chilli peppers, chopped very finely |
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4 cloves of garlic, crushed finely |
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6 tbls Whitworths caster sugar |
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1½ tbls very finely sliced and thinly diced skinned red capsicum pepper |
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Method
Remove the crabmeat from the shell and break it up with your fingers. Whizz the crab with the prawns in a food processor to a minced texture. Add the mixture to a mixing bowl and combine with the remaining ingredients and the egg white. Divide the mixture into 12 balls and lightly flatten them with the palm of your hands. Set them onto a large plate lined with silicone parchment. Cover with cling film and leave them in the fridge to chill. Heat the oil (about 10mm / ½ in deep in the frying pan) and fry the fish cakes slowly in batches for about 2 - 2½ minutes on each side until crisp and golden. Drain on kitchen paper and keep them warm by wrapping them in kitchen foil. Serve hot with dipping sauce and a side dish of finely cut chips.
For the Sweet Chilli Sauce:
Place all the ingredients into a medium-sized saucepan and bring to the boil, then leave on a brisk simmer for 25 minutes, until the liquid has reduced to a thin syrup. Leave to cool. Pour into small dipping bowls and serve one bowl alongside each portion of fish cakes.
Tip
It is best to eat dishes containing crab the same day the crab is bought, or the day after.
Tip
Crab freezes well. When you defrost it lay the crab on its back so that any excess water sinks back into the shell rather than the meat.
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