Recipe: Crab Cakes with Pineapple-Mango Salsa
It seems that crab cakes are a shamefully neglected weeknight eat, which is a bummer, really, considering how lightning fast they go from idea to table. My fruit and veggie-filled version includes healthy bell peppers packed right inside the patties, a dollop of zesty fruit salsa on top, and my latest find: no mess from PAM Coconut Oil Spray.
Lately I’ve been trying to incorporate healthier fats into my diet, but the one that eluded me has been the ever-so-popular coconut oil. I honestly hadn’t had much luck with it: my first attempt using it was in banana bread, and I had no idea I was supposed to warm it up! Let’s not even talk about the time I tried to put it in my smoothie. (Okay, it was pretty much the equivalent of eating plastic and kale.)
The more I had read about coconut oil, though, the more I became determined to incorporate it into my cooking. Happily I found the solution to my dinner dilemma with PAM Coconut Oil Spray. The no-fuss alternative to traditional coconut oil is zero calories and zero grams of fat per serving, gluten-free, and takes away the messy melting phase of working with coconut oil AND the worry of whether my breakfast will congeal. With PAM’s superior non-stick performance, the coconut oil spray makes it easy to achieve a crisp, golden crust, and cleanup is super-easy, leaving more time to relax and enjoy your culinary masterpiece.
Crab Cakes with Pineapple-Mango Salsa
Makes 10 crab cakes
Nutritional Info
Ingredients
For the crab cakes
- 1/4 cup
diced red bell pepper
- 1/4 cup
diced green bell pepper
- 2
green onions, chopped
- 1
egg, lightly beaten
- 1/2 cup
panko crumbs, plus 1 cup for dredging
- 1/4 cup
lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
- 2 tablespoons
mayonnaise
- 2 teaspoons
mustard powder
- 1 teaspoon
Old Bay seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon
kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon
Worcestershire sauce
- 1 pound
best-quality lump crab meat, picked over for shells
Lemon wedges, for garnish
For the salsa
- 1/2 cup
diced mango
- 1/2 cup
diced pineapple
- 1/4 cup
diced red onion
- 1/4 cup
diced red bell pepper
- 1 teaspoon
minced jalapeño pepper, or to taste
- 1 tablespoon
minced fresh mint, or to taste
- 1
lime, freshly juiced
Kosher salt, to taste
Instructions
For the crab cakes, combine the bell peppers and green onions in a large bowl. Add the egg, panko, lemon juice, mayonnaise, mustard, Old Bay, salt, and Worcestershire sauce and stir until well-combined. Add the crab and gently mix until ingredients are just incorporated. Using a 1/4-cup measuring cup or spring-form ice cream scoop, form the mixture into patties with your hands. Dredge each patty in additional panko crumbs until well coated. Arrange the cakes on a sheet pan and chill for a minimum of one hour, or until ready to cook.
Spray a large skillet with PAM Coconut Oil Spray. Heat over medium-high heat until hot. Add crab cakes, working in two batches if necessary, and cook until crisp and light golden brown, approximately 3 to 4 minutes per side. (To bake the crab cakes, preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a sheet pan with aluminum foil and spray with PAM Coconut Oil Spray. Top each crab cake with a small pat of butter and bake until warmed through, about 10 minutes. Finish under the broiler until golden, if necessary.)
Top with pineapple-mango salsa before serving.
For the salsa, combine the diced mango, pineapple, red onion, bell pepper, jalapeno, mint, and lime juice. Season with a generous pinch of kosher salt. Chill for one hour to allow flavors to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary.