Our Crab cake eggs benedict have thick crab cakes made without a bread crumb filler or mayonnaise! They are topped with the easiest, lemony Hollandaise sauce!
1poundcooked Dungeness crab meator other crab meat, cartilage removed
¼cupdiced red bell pepper
2tablespoonsdiced celery
¼cupchopped fresh chives
2tablespoonschopped fresh dill
1teaspoonOld Bay Seasoningdivided
1cupPanko breadcrumbs
Olive oil for frying
For the Hollandaise Sauce:
10tablespoonsbutter
4egg yolks
2tablespoonsplus 2 teaspoons lemon juice
Dash of Tabasco sauceoptional
Pinchof salt
To Assemble:
4large eggspoached
2English Muffinssplit in half and toasted
Instructions
For the Crab Cakes:
Line a quarter-size sheet pan with parchment paper and set aside.
In a mini food processor (or blender) pulse the shrimp and one egg together just until the shrimp is well chopped. With the motor running, drizzle in the cream and process until smooth.
Scrape the shrimp mixture into a medium size bowl. Stir in the crab, red bell pepper, celery chives, dill and ½ teaspoon of the Old Bay seasoning.
Place 4, 3-inch ring molds on the prepared sheet pan and scoop the mixture into each mold, pressing down firmly. Alternatively, shape, by hand 4 equal portions of the mixture into cakes about 1-inch thick.
In two separate dishes, break the remaining egg into one dish and whisk with a fork. In the second dish add the Panko bread crumbs.
Remove the ring molds from the formed patties. Dip a crab cake into the egg mixture then coat with the bread crumbs. Place on the parchment paper and repeat with the remaining cakes.
Transfer the pan of crumb-coated crab cakes to the refrigerator while preparing the Hollandaise sauce.
For the Hollandaise Sauce:
In a small saucepan set over medium-low heat, melt the butter until very hot.
Using a wide-mouth Mason pint jar, add the egg yolks, lemon juice, Tobacco sauce (if using) and a pinch of salt. Place the immersion blender in the jar and blend together briefly. With the motor running, slowly pour the hot melted butter into the jar and blend until smooth. Add additional tablespoons of lemon juice or hot water to thin to desired consistency. Set the jar in a pan of hot water to stay warm until needed.
Cook the Crab Cakes:
Remove the seafood patties from the refrigerator. Add enough olive oil to a large non-stick skillet to coat the bottom and heat over medium heat.
Add the crab cakes to the skillet and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side or until a golden brown. Transfer to a plate and keep warm while poaching the eggs.
To Poach the Eggs:
While the crab cakes are cooking, fill a large saucepan with 3-4 inches of water and 1 tablespoon of salt. The pan should be large enough to comfortably poach 4 eggs without crowding them.
Heat the water on medium-high until small bubbles appear on the sides and bottom of the pan. Break the eggs, one at a time into a fine-mesh strainer, swirl the egg around allowing the watery liquid to drain off. Transfer the eggs into individual small custard dishes.
Tip each egg into the simmering water and poach for 3-4 minutes until desired doneness.
Meanwhile:
Toast the English muffins to a light golden brown and place a half on each of four plates. Add a tablespoon of hollandaise sauce to each muffin and add a crab cake.
When the eggs are cooked, remove them one at a time with a slotted spoon, blotting the underside of the spoon to remove excess water and slide the egg onto the crab cake.
Spoon 2 tablespoons of warm hollandaise sauce over each egg, add freshly ground pepper and a pinch of the reserved Old Bay seasoning then sprinkle with snipped chives. Serve immediately.
Notes
We used Dungeness meat in our recipe but you can use whatever is available or canned lump crab meat. Fresh is always best!
The mixture of shrimp, egg and cream serves as a binder for the crab cakes. The shrimp can be substituted with either additional crab or scallops.
Chilling the Panko-coated crab cakes will “set” the bread crumbs and help to firm up them up.
The crab cakes may be prepared in advance, up to a day before and refrigerated until ready to cook.
This is a quick and fool-proof hollandaise sauce that takes less than 5 minutes to prepare. Keep the sauce warm in a pan of warm water (not hot) until ready to use.
Any remaining hollandaise sauce may be kept up to 3-days, refrigerated, in a covered container. Reheat in a pan of warm water, stirring occasionally as it warms, then blitz it with the immersion/stick blender.
Removing the watery portion of the egg in a mesh strainer will keep the poached eggs tight and free from developing a cloudy film on top of the water.