Cilantro Crabcakes With Dijon Corn Salsa

These crabcakes are deceptively simple and packed full of flavor.

Posted by Jessie Johnson

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Cilantro Crabcakes with Dijon Corn Salsa

For the Cilantro Crabcakes:
Makes about 10 large crabcakes (20 appetizer-sized)


1 lb. lump crab (about 2 cups, if you’re picking the meat out of whole crabs instead of buying packages of lump crab meat – I got a little over half a pound of meat out of one medium-sized crab)
1 tsp. worcestershire sauce
4 tsp. dijon mustard
1 egg
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
2 Tbsp. mayonnaise
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
2 tsp. lemon juice
dash of hot sauce (about 1/8 tsp.)
2 cups panko breadcrumbs
1 recipe dijon corn salsa

For the Dijon Corn Salsa:
Makes 1 and 1/2 cups

2 ears of corn (you could substitute 1 can of corn if you’d like)
1 medium sized tomato, diced
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
2 and 1/2 tsp. dijon mustard
1/2 tsp. lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp. apple cider vinegar

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You Will Need (1 thing)

  • Crab

Steps (11 steps, 60 minutes)

  1. 1

    First, let's make the salsa! Remove all but the innermost layer of husk from the ears of corn. Submerge them in room temperature water and soak for 15-20 minutes. (If you’re using canned corn, just drain it and place it in a mixing bowl, then skip to step 3).

  2. 2

    Remove corn from water and pat dry. Grill on a VERY hot grill (or grill pan) for 15-20 minutes, turning every 5 minutes or so to get an even char on each side of the cob. When corn has cooked, remove from heat, let cool, remove husks and silk, and run a knife down the cob to remove all the kernels. Place these kernels in a medium-sized mixing bowl.

  3. 3

    Stir tomato and cilantro into the corn.

  4. 4

    In a small, separate bowl, whisk together the dijon, lemon juice, salt and pepper, olive oil, and apple cider vinegar.

  5. 5

    Pour half of the dijon mixture over the corn mixture to dress the salsa. Reserve the remaining half to use as a sauce for the crabcakes. Store salsa and extra dressing in the fridge until ready to use.

  6. 6

    On to the crabcakes! Mix worcestershire sauce, dijon, egg, salt, pepper, mayonnaise, cilantro, lemon juice, and hot sauce together in a large bowl.

  7. 7

    Fold crab meat into mixture.

  8. 8

    Add 1 cup of the breadcrumbs and mix until combined. Test the mixture by pinching off a piece of it and rolling into a ball – if it sticks together and isn’t too moist to hold its shape, it’s ready! If it’s too moist to hold its shape or feels wet/runny to the touch, add more breadcrumbs 1/4 cup at a time until the mixture will hold together.

  9. 9

    Shape the crabcakes. Roll a small handful of the mixture into a ball with your hands, then flatten it gently to make it about 3/4″ thick (about 1/2″ thick if you’re making appetizer sized cakes). Make sure each cake is uniform in size (especially in thickness!) so that they will cook evenly. At this point, you can freeze the cakes or keep them, uncooked and covered, in the fridge for up to a week.

  10. 10

    When you are ready to cook the crabcakes, spray a nonstick skillet with cooking spray and heat it over medium heat until the pan is nice and hot. Place the crabcakes down on the hot pan, being careful to leave space between each crabcake so you have room to flip them. You should hear a nice sizzle when you place them on the pan. Cook for 3-4 minutes on each side, until sides are brown and crispy.

  11. 11

    Spread a spoonful of dijon dressing (leftover from when you made the salsa!) on a plate and set 1 or 2 crabcakes on top of it. Top with dijon corn salsa and a sprig of cilantro to garnish. Serve immediately and enjoy!