Crab Cake Pakora with Achari Tartar Sauce
Adam Lambay takes an Indian favorite, Pakora, a simple vegetable fritter, and makes it American! This is a show-stopping crab cake dipped in a dry Pakora batter made from garbanzo bean flour and Indian spices. The end result is an appetizer to wow your guests. Note from Chef Adam: You can use canned lump crab meat or canned claw crab meat. Lump crab can be used directly from the can. If using claw crab be sure to pick it over for bits of shell. Yields 20 crab cakes Serves 8-10 at a cocktail party or 6 as an appetizer
Recipe Ingredients
- Pakora Dry Mix
- - 1 cup Besan (also known as Garbanzo Bean Flour or Chickpea Flour)
- - 1 tbsp Dried Methi (Fenugreek)
- - 1 tbsp Garam Masala
- - 2 tsp Kosher Salt
- - 1 tsp Madras-Style Curry Powder
- - 1/2 tsp Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
- - 1/2 tsp Cumin Seed
- - 1/2 tsp Ground Coriander
- Achari Tartar Sauce
- - 1/2 cup Mayonnaise
- - 2 tbsp Achaar, minced into a paste (Note: Achaar is the Hindi name for pickles. It comes in a variety of flavors. I like to use the “mixed vegetable” flavor for this preparation. But you can experiment and find your favorite.)
- Crab Cake Pakora
- - 2-Inch section of Fresh Gingerroot, peeled and roughly chopped
- - 6 Cloves Garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
- - 2 tbsp Mayonnaise
- - 2 tbsp Very Thinly Sliced Green Onion Tops
- - 1 cup Canned Garbanzo Beans, drained, rinsed and coarsely chopped
- - 2 tbsp Very Small Dice Sweet Red Bell Pepper
- - 1 tsp Lemon Juice
- - 12 oz. Canned Crab
- - Pakora Dry Mix (ingredients above)
- - 6 cups Canola Oil
- - Achari Tartar Sauce (ingredients above)
Recipe Instructions
Pakora Dry Mix - Yields 1 Heaping cup mix (Prep time: 5 minutes)
- Place all ingredients in a medium size bowl and mix with a whisk until well combined. Set aside.
Achari Tartar Sauce (Yields 1/2 cup, Prep time: 3 minutes)
- Mix the mayonnaise and achaar together in a small bowl until well combined. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Crab Cake Pakora (Prep time: 20 minutes; Cook time: 6 minutes per batch; plus a 20-minute rest in the refrigerator)
- Puree the gingerroot and garlic with an immersion blender or regular blender. You may need to add a bit of water to get it going. That’s fine, it will cook out. Once pureed, set aside. Be sure to freeze any extra as I use gingerroot and garlic puree in many of my recipes.
- In a large bowl combine 2 teaspoons of the gingerroot and garlic puree, mayonnaise, green onion, chopped garbanzo beans, bell pepper, lemon juice, and a 1/4 cup of the Pakora Dry Mix.
- Add crab and mix with your hands until well combined. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour to allow the flavors to meld and the mix to chill and firm up.
- Heat canola oil in a deep fryer or a Dutch oven to 325°F.
- Shape the chilled crab mix into 20 even balls. Using a cookie scoop makes it easier and ensures equal portions. When rolling the crab cakes they might feel like they are going to fall apart. The best way to shape them is to gently squeeze them into a ball shape versus rolling like a meatball.
- Gently and lightly roll the balls in the remaining Pakora Dry Mix and place in hot oil. Don’t make these in advance. You want to roll them in the dry mix and immediately fry. Otherwise, the coating will get wet and won’t fry well. Fry for 6-8 minutes. The ingredients are already cooked, you’re just looking to get a golden brown color on the cakes. They will be crispy on the outside and moist on the inside.
- Serve with spicy Achari Tartar Sauce for dipping.