Name: Crab & Shrimp Cakes with Garlic Dill Aioli
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 25 min
Ingredients: 8 oz Lump Crab (Drained); 4 oz Raw Shrimp (Peeled and Deveined); 2/3 c Panko Breadcrumbs; 3 tbsp Mayo; 1/4 c Green Onions (Green and White Parts) (Chopped); 1 Egg (Beaten); 1 tbsp Fresh Dill (Chopped); 1 tbsp Lemon Juice; 1 tbsp Dijon; 1/2 tsp Cajun Seasoning; 1/2 tsp Worcestershire; 1/4 tsp Crushed Red Pepper Flakes; 1/2 tsp Black Pepper; Pinch of Salt; 1/2 c Mayo; 1/2 tbsp Garlic (Minced); 1/2 tbsp Fresh Dill (Chopped); 1 tsp Lemon Juice; 1/4 tsp Black Pepper; 1/4 tsp Cajun Seasoning

I must admit I have been sitting on this one awhile. Well, not literally sitting. It’s just been a long recipe in the making. I think of crab cakes and aioli in the same sense of the “What came first debate,” with the chicken and the egg. Did I love crab cakes first, and they just so happen to always be served with an aioli or did my love of aioli come first, and really I love anything it touches? We will never know…

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Well in this recipe’s case, the aioli did come first. I spotted some bite sized crab cakes at the greatest store on earth (Costco) and had to buy them. It was shortly after Christmas so I had some ingredients in my fridge that I don’t normally have. So I thought I could make a really flavorful aioli to go with them. Typically, if a frozen appetizer comes with a sauce, I throw it out anyway. I just do not like how they taste. In addition, it was still the holiday season, and I was feeling fancy so a homemade sauce to compliment the mini crab cakes would be perfect!

Well, I loved the aioli, super garlicky (my favorite), but overall the recipe wasn’t “blog worthy.” I didn’t like it enough to post alone, and I wasn’t mentally prepared to start a crab cake recipe. Then like almost 14 months later, I did my research and taste testing, and knew what I wanted to create.

Crab and Shrimp Cakes! A perfect bite that you can make small when you are entertaining and want a fancy appetizer, or make them big when you want a dinner portion for two. The best part of the cake is the addition of shrimp. Shrimp adds the perfect ‘filler’ for the cake without skimping on flavor or experience of enjoying a seafood cake. Also, crab isn’t cheap! Even when you use canned crab it comes at a price, and fresh costs even more (hello land locked state!) So lets be fancy, save a little money, and get the best of both worlds.

So here we go! Crab and Shrimp Cakes with Garlic Dill Aioli!

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The Process:

Prep the cake ingredients. *Peel the raw shrimp and do any cleaning you need. Chop the raw shrimp into small pieces. Since its going in a cake, a large piece can make the cake fall apart. So chop them small!

*I always stress buying frozen shrimp when you are land-locked like I am. Thawed shrimp in your grocery store, came frozen. You might as well thaw it yourself. It only takes about 20 min, and you don’t have to worry about how long its been there thawed and possibly even thawed, frozen, and thawed again. AND since it only takes about 20 min to thaw, its always a perfect weeknight meal, even when you forget to set something out ahead of time.

But I digress…

Ok, in a mixing bowl add the crab (drained), shrimp, and remaining cake ingredients. Mix until just combined. Then scoop enough mixture to make a cake into your preferred size. I made this into six cakes, using a biscuit cutter as my mold. Six cakes makes up two dinner portions. Refrigerate while you make the Aioli.

Aioli!

Its not difficult, just mix all the ingredients in a bowl, and refrigerate!

Back to our cake makin’…

Place a stainless steel or cast iron skillet, over medium heat, and add about two tablespoons of vegetable oil. Once the pan is hot, cook the crab cakes in batches. It makes flipping difficult if your pan is crowded. I cooked three at a time (half of my mixture), in a 12 inch skillet.

Cook three minutes per side, covering the pan for the last minute on each side. This helps insure the shrimp cooks through. FLIP CAREFULLY!!!

Transfer to a paper towel lined plate until you have cooked all of the batches.

Serve with the Aioli (obviously) and a lemon wedge! If serving as an entrée, it goes great over a bed of arugula.

Enjoy!

Recipe:

Crab & Shrimp Cakes with Garlic Dill Aioli

Course Appetizer, Dinner

Keyword Cake, Crab, Dill, Garlic, Sauce, Shrimp

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 25 minutes

Servings 6 3 inch cakes

Ingredients

Crab & Shrimp Cakes

8 oz Lump Crab Drained
4 oz Raw Shrimp Peeled and Deveined
2/3 c Panko Breadcrumbs
3 tbsp Mayo
1/4 c Green Onions (Green and White Parts) Chopped
1 Egg Beaten
1 tbsp Fresh Dill Chopped
1 tbsp Lemon Juice
1 tbsp Dijon
1/2 tsp Cajun Seasoning
1/2 tsp Worcestershire
1/4 tsp Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
1/2 tsp Black Pepper
Pinch of Salt

Garlic Dill Aioli

1/2 c Mayo
1/2 tbsp Garlic Minced
1/2 tbsp Fresh Dill Chopped
1 tsp Lemon Juice
1/4 tsp Black Pepper
1/4 tsp Cajun Seasoning

Instructions

Peel and chop the shrimp into small pieces, and drain the crabmeat.
Mix all cake ingredients in a bowl until well incorporated. Then scoop the mixture and shape into whatever sized portions you would like. This batch easily makes 6, three inch cakes, or 12 appetizer size cakes.
Refrigerate.
Mix all aioli ingredients into a bowl and refrigerate.
Heat a stainless steel skillet over medium heat, and add about 2 tablespoons of oil. Working in batches cook the cakes 3 minutes per side. Cover the pan during the last minute of cooking on each side. *I made 6 cakes, and cooked 3 per batch.
Transfer to a paper towel lined plate until all cakes are cooked.
Serve with the aioli and a lemon wedge, over a bed of arugula!

Recipe Notes

You can totally use regular breadcrumbs instead of Panko. I just prefer the extra crunch from Panko.
A nice heaping 1/2 tablespoon of garlic is best, but a little more or less to your preference.

xoxo, birdbelly