Toritas de Jaiba con Salsa de Chipotle (Crab Cakes with Chipotle Sauce)

Serves     4-6

Ingredients

Crab Cakes
½ c masa harina (finely ground corn flour – widely available)
1 lb. fresh crabmeat
3 scallions, minced
3T minced fresh cilantro or parsley
1T mayonnaise
1 egg, lightly beaten
1T fresh lime juice
1/8 t salt
pinch of cumin
pinch of ground chipotle, cayenne or ground black pepper
small pinch ground cloves
3‐4T oil for frying

Sauce
¾ c mayonnaise
1 chili from can of chilis in adobo sauce, minced or pureed(omit if you do not like heat)
1t adobo sauce from the can
2T minced scallions
1T fresh lime juice
salt to taste
sour cream (optional – may be added to turn down the heat)


Directions

Preheat oven to 300. Place the masa harina on a jelly roll pan in a thin layer. Cook the masa harina in the oven for about 10‐15 minutes of until lightly toasted. Set aside to cool. In a medium bowl, place all of the crab cake ingredients EXCEPT the masa harina and mix lightly. Sprinkle half (¼ cup) of the masa harina over the crab mixture and gently stir to combine and distribute the ingredients evenly. Let the crab cake mixture sit for about 10 minutes while you make the sauce. Make the sauce by combining all the ingredients in a small bowl and mix well. Cover and refrigerate. On a griddle or large skillet, heat corn or other oil (I use ghee because I like the flavor of butter with crab) over medium heat. Form the crab mixture into 6 (fairly flat) patties if making as a main course, or about 20 if making them as an appetizer.
Place the remaining hasa marina on a plate. Coat the crab cakes lightly with it. Place crab cakes in skillet and cook for about 5 minutes per side or until lightly browned and crispy. Serve hot or warm with sauce on the side or as desired.


Country:
Mexico


Notes and Instructions

Crab season has just opened up here on the Chesapeake Bay and that means wherever possible I will include a crab recipe for the next few months while it is available! How fortunate to find this superb preparation. If you have never used canned chipotle chilis in adobo sauce, I will warn you it is spicy. But it has such a wonderful, smoky flavor, so please try it. Just use a smaller amount called for here if you don’t like heat. This versatile ingredient appears in this and other recipes given here, so pick up a small can from your supermarket international food section and give it whirl. Whatever you don’t use will keep almost indefinitely in a container in the refrigerator.
Serves 4 – 6, OR make them small and serve as an appetizer, as described in above.