Moroccan-spiced Crab Cakes

Total Time: 35 mins Preparation Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 20 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 2
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/4 cup red bell pepper, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup celery, finely chopped
• 2 scallions, and tender green, thinly sliced
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 lb large lump crabmeat, picked over
• 1 cup japanese-style bread crumbs (panko) or 1 cup breadcrumbs, coarse stale
• 2 tablespoons parsley, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons chives, finely chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest, finely grated
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper
• salt
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1/2 cup fresh orange juice
• 1 teaspoon cumin seed
• 1/2 cup lightly packed cilantro leaf
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• salt
• cayenne pepper

Recipe

• 1 cilantro-orange dressing.
• 2 in a saucepan, boil the orange juice over moderately high heat until reduced to 2 tablespoons, about 8 minutes. let cool, then transfer to a blender.
• 3 meanwhile, in a small dry skillet, toast the cumin seeds over moderate heat, shaking the pan occasionally, until fragrant, about 2 minutes. grind the cumin in a mortar or spice grinder.
• 4 add the cumin to the blender along with the cilantro and lemon juice and blend until smooth. with the blender on, add the canola oil in a thin, steady stream. season with salt and cayenne.
• 5 crab cakes.
• 6 heat the olive oil in a nonstick skillet. add the red pepper and celery and cook over moderately high heat, stirring, until the vegetables are just softened, about 2 minutes. add the scallions and ginger and cook until the scallions are wilted, 1 to 2 minutes. stir in the cumin, turmeric and cardamom and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. add the cream and boil until reduced by half, about 6 minutes. transfer to a bowl and let cool slightly.
• 7 add the crabmeat to the cream mixture along with 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon of the bread crumbs, 1 1/2 tablespoons each of the parsley and chives, and the lemon zest. season with cayenne and salt and mix gently but thoroughly.
• 8 with moistened hands, shape the crab mixture into 8 cakes, using a scant 1/3 cup for each; the cakes should be about 3 inches wide and 3/4 inch thick. spread the remaining bread crumbs on a large plate. coat the crab cakes with the bread crumbs and transfer to a baking sheet lined with wax paper.
• 9 heat 2 tablespoons of the canola oil in a medium nonstick skillet. add half of the crab cakes and cook until browned and crisp, about 3 minutes per side. transfer to a platter. repeat with the remaining canola oil and crab cakes. arrange the crab cakes on plates, drizzle with the cilantro-orange dressing and garnish with the remaining 1/2 tablespoon each of the parsley and chives.