A few days before Christmas we had our friends Michael and Lynn over for a crab feast of Garlic Roasted Dungeness Crab that Mark and I do at least once a year. This year, I also made crab cakes which turned out heavenly. I haven’t made crab cakes since we went paleo but since I’ve used pork rinds for “breading” on some recipes, I figured…why not use them in crab cakes??
I used to put all kinds of stuff in my crab cakes…green onions, red peppers, ritz crackers or panko etc, but decided to go simple and pure with these. Let the crab do the talking.
To crush the pork rinds, place them in a zip lock bag. Don’t seal it shut. Roll them with a rolling pin until you’ve got small crumbly pieces that resemble bread crumbs.
Be sure to gently pick over the crab to remove any small pieces of shell or cartilage accidentally left behind. I got my crab from COSTCO. Then, in a small bowl, gently mix the crab and pork rinds together. You don’t want to smoosh and smash or break up the crab. Just gently turn it over. Set it aside.
In another small bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients and then gently combine that with the crab…taking care not to over mix it. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour. I’ve made a batch and cooked them 2 days later so if you have more than you want to eat in one sitting, you can keep it in the fridge for up to 2 days or so…
Using a large spoon or ice cream scoop, form crab into 2″ patties or cakes and saute using a 12″ saute pan. I use and luv this ceramic (not teflon!!) pan.
Serve with lemon wedges. No need for tartar sauce – they’re that good!!!
Equipment I Use:
- Ceramic Non-Stick Skillet – I luv this non-stick pan because it is not coated with teflon.
Paleo Crab Cakes To Die For
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup crushed pork rinds
- 1 lb lump crab meat
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup avocado mayonnaise
- 1/2 tsp coconut aminos
- 1 tsp whole grain mustard
- 3 Tbsp olive oil
Instructions
- Place the pork rinds in a zip lock bag (don't seal) and roll them with a rolling pin until they resemble bread crumbs. Measure out 1/2 cup.
- Place picked over crab meat and crushed pork rinds into a bowl and gently mix until combined. Do not break up the crab pieces.
- In another bowl, whisk together the egg, avocado mayonnaise, coconut aminos and whole grain mustard.
- Pour egg mixture into crab mixture and gently mix until combined. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerator for at least an hour (can be stored for up to 2 days).
- Heat oil in a saute pan. (I use and luv this ceramic non-stick pan)Using a large spoon or ice cream scoop, form crab into 2" diameter cakes and saute for approximately 4 minutes per side.
- Serve with lemon wedges.
These were delicious!! And so easy to make, too. Even my picky family loved them. Thanks for the recipe! 🙂
Miranda,
You’re welcome! I am so glad you liked my recipe!! It remains one of my favorite things to cook! Lately, I have been adding in a chopped up Thai pepper to give it a little kick of heat. Happy Cooking!!
Lynette
Luv crab cakes, but hate filler, the pork rinds are the absolute perfect alternative. The crab cakes were delicious! Liked them so much I’m making them tonight for dinner. Thank you Lynette, great food, great friends, the best!
Hi Lynn!!
Thanks so much!! I totally agree with you about the pork rinds! Looking forward to more sharing and cooking and dancing in the kitchen with you!!! Next time…video camera running!!