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Mini Crab Cakes with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

Mini crab cakes served with roasted red pepper mayonnaise.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 7 ingredients
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Why it works: Garlic and pepper are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 8% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 27,090 recipes. Both carry beta-phellandrene, which smells minty, terpene. The science ↓

Mini Crab Cakes with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

Time2-1/2 to 3 minutes per side

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare the mixture

  1. Combine eggs and 1 tablespoon seafood seasoning in a medium bowl; whisk until blended.

  2. Stir in crabmeat and rice.

  3. Form 2 tablespoons of mixture into 2-1/2-inch patties; repeat with remaining mixture.

Cook the crab cakes

  1. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat.

  2. Add crab cakes in batches; cook about 2-1/2 to 3 minutes on each side or until browned.

  3. Add more oil to skillet as necessary.

  4. Drain well on paper towels.

Make the sauce and serve

  1. Combine mayonnaise, roasted red peppers and remaining 1 teaspoon seafood seasoning; mix well.

  2. Serve hot or at room temperature with roasted red pepper mayonnaise.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

413Calories
11 gProtein
19 gFat
48 gCarbs
What these numbers assume: 5 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Rice1 cup cooked (158g) white206
Olive Oil1 tbsp (14g)119
Egg1 large egg (50g)78
Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6
Garlic1 clove (3g)4

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Garlic + peppertop 8% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together27,090 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).

  2. Rice + peppertop 12% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together8,379 recipes

    Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).

  3. Rice + garlictop 12% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together4,358 recipes

    Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).

  4. Egg + ricetop 28% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together8,350 recipes

    Shared aroma: (e,e)-2,4-decadienal (fatty, deep fried).

  5. Egg + peppertop 33% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together50,580 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).

Egg and pepper barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 50,580 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Eggs
Bind the mixture together so the patties hold their shape.
Crabmeat
Main protein that gives the cakes their flavor and texture.
Cooked medium grain rice
Adds bulk and softness, helping the cakes hold moisture inside.
Roasted garlic mayonnaise
Adds richness and fat, keeping the cakes moist and the sauce creamy.
Roasted red peppers
Adds sweetness and color to the sauce.
Vegetable oil
Conducts heat in the skillet, promoting even browning of the cakes.

The step that matters

Cook the cakes in batches without crowding the skillet. Crowding drops the pan temperature, so the cakes steam instead of browning. Cooking in batches and adding oil as needed keeps the surface hot enough to form a crisp, browned crust that holds the patty together.

Swap the garlic

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (egg, rice, pepper):

  1. Turmericfits better
  2. Parsleyfits better
  3. Nutmegfits better
  4. Garlicthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against egg, rice, pepper. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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