Recipe: Goan Spiced Crab Cakes

Every Thursday on the Good Food Blog we share a recipe from our archives.

New York chef, Floyd Cardoz, is the author of One Spice, Two Spice: American Food, Indian Flavors. He first shared this recipe for Goan Spiced Crab Cakes on October 14, 2006.

Photo: Inspire Kelly on flickr

Goan Spiced Crab Cakes

Yield: 4 servings

¼ c corn oil

1 onion, diced small

1 tbsp peeled, minced fresh ginger

½ tbsp minced garlic

1 ts coriander seeds, ground

1 ts cumin seed, ground

¼ tsp turmeric

1 Tomato; diced small

1 c crabmeat, carefully picked

2 medium shrimp, minced to fine paste

2 limes, zested (chopped), and juiced

8 sprigs cilantro, washed

1 tb chopped chives

1 egg, beaten

1 c panko (available in Japanese specialty Stores)

Salt to taste

Freshly-ground black pepper to taste

Cayenne to taste

In a large saute pan, heat one tablespoon of the corn oil. Add the onion, ginger and garlic and saute for 5 minutes over medium heat. Add the coriander, cumin, turmeric and the tomato and continue to cook until it turns dry. Remove from the heat and cool down. In a large mixing bowl, combine crabmeat, the cooled onion mixture, shrimp, chopped lime zest and juice, cilantro, chives, beaten egg and 3 tablespoons of the panko. Season with salt, pepper and cayenne. Mix well so that all the ingredients are well incorporated. Test a small quantity by forming a teaspoon of this mix into a small patty and frying it in a pan. Adjust the salt and pepper if necessary. Divide this mixture into 4 equal portions. Form into balls and flatten to form small patties. Put the rest of the panko on a cutting board. Place the patties one at a time in the bread crumbs. Heat a heavy-bottomed skillet large enough to hold the crab cakes on medium heat. Add the oil and fry the crab cakes. When the cakes turn a light golden color, flip them over and cook them on the other side until they are light golden in color. Using a slotted spatula, remove and drain on a paper towel.