Korean Crab Cakes with Sweet Chili Slaw

The crispiest, healthy sesame crusted ginger scallion Asian crab cakes served over a sweet, spicy, and oh-so tangy cabbage: these Korean Crab Cakes with Sweet Chili Slaw are truly a burst of flavor!!

We all know I love a good Asian dinner — I’ve said that enough. What I maybe haven’t mentioned, however, is my love for Asian shared plates. Honestly, whenever I go out to Asian I’m always the first to suggest we get a bunch of dishes and share them amongst the table. That way I get to try everything! Maybe that’s a total foodie move, I don’t know. What I do know, however, is that, if any type of seafood fritter is in the cards, you best be accepting that we are getting it for the table… especially if it is filled with all the good Asian flavors. Where am I going with this? Well, I recently went to a restaurant with just about every fritter under the sky, many of which had Asian flavors. But, this restaurant also had a few crab cakes on the menu. So, as I sat their deciding which plate to order, I couldn’t help but think about how delicious an Asian crab cake would be. Hence, this Korean Crab Cakes with Sweet Chili Slaw recipe was born… and it has to be one of my best ideas to date.

The breakdown…

These Korean Crab Cakes with Sweet Chili Slaw are truly the best make ahead dish out there. With your classic crab cake binding ingredients, tons of jumbo lump crab meat, and ALL the good Asian flavors, there’s nothing not to love about these. Start off with some egg, panko, and greek yogurt. You could also use mayonnaise if you would like to go a ~sriracha mayo~ route… but, I mean, I don’t think it’s necessary. Really, you just need a very minimal amount of these ingredients to help bind everything together. As with any good crab cake, you want to leave the crab as the star, so there’s no need for a ton of excess filler.

That being said, you could totally add in a tbsp of hoisin sauce to the mix. While this may seem like more “fluff,” it really is just a great option for some more flavor that also happens to help stick everything together. Given that it’s only 1 tbsp, though, I leave this step optional. What’s definitely mandatory, however, is the addition of some fresh cilantro and scallions. These finely chopped vegetables really are the best way to bring so much freshness into a crab cake. Nobody wants a dense patty! Then, with some ginger, chili paste, and soy sauce for some extra salty and spicy goodness, these crab cakes are truly chefs kiss.

to the fridge…

Sprinkle some sesame seeds onto your crab cakes then send them to the fridge. For any good crab cake (aka the type that isn’t jam packed with filler), chilling is really necessary. This simply helps the cakes stay together when thrown onto the stove without having to jam them pack with mayo or panko. Plus, that’s what makes this Korean Crab Cakes with Sweet Chili Slaw recipe so make-ahead friendly! Prepare your crab cakes earlier in the day, then give them a quick sear on the stove when you’re ready to eat. All this said, if you are in a huge rush, you could totally freeze the crab cakes for about 20 minutes. The flavors will not develop quite as much, but it will still be delicious. So easy, yet so delicious.

Likewise, the sweet chili slaw is quite-make ahead friendly. With a simple combo of sweet chili sauce, greek yogurt, chili paste, and rice wine vinegar tossed up with some hearty cabbage and scallions, this slaw is truly so easy to work with. Mix it all up and send it to the fridge for a few hours and the cabbage should hold well. Or, if needed, toss in a bit of extra vinegar or cabbage before you eat. Play around with it… it’s that versatile. Really, you just need all that sweet and tangy goodness to pair with your crab cakes. 

how to serve them up…

I love to serve these Korean Crab Cakes with Sweet Chili Slaw up for dinner with a side of rice or quinoa (maybe my Healthier Fried Rice?), but they also make for a wonderful appetizer. You could even make these into mini bites and serve them in little cups for a crowd. They work in all scenarios. Oh, and definitely don’t hold back from turning these into sandwiches. With a sesame bun, a lettuce wrap, or even a bao wrap of sorts, this Korean Crab Cakes with Sweet Chili Slaw recipe makes for an excellent handheld. Plus, you can always add more sauce, if you would like! A simple sweet chili sauce, a ginger garlic gochujang sauce, a creamy sweet and spicy chili sauce, a chili garlic sauce, a thai peanut sauce, or simple avocado crema would be my go-tos if you want to add in some more. Really, you can’t go wrong with this one!

I hope you love these Korean Crab Cakes with Sweet Chili Slaw as much as I do! Let me know what you think in the comments below:))

Korean Crab Cakes with Sweet Chili Slaw

Recipe by Annie PatrickCourse: Main Course, AppetizerCuisine: Korean, Asian, FusionDifficulty: Easy

Servings

8

crab cakes

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking time

10

minutes

Chill time

1

hour

The crispiest, healthy sesame crusted ginger scallion Asian crab cakes served over a sweet, spicy, and oh-so tangy cabbage: these Korean Crab Cakes with Sweet Chili Slaw are truly a burst of flavor!!

Ingredients

• crab cakes:

• 2 eggs, beaten

• ½ cup panko

• 3 tbsp plain greek yogurt (or mayonnaise)

• 1 tbsp hoisin sauce (optional)

• ⅓ cup fresh cilantro, finely diced

• 3 scallions, finely diced

• 1 tbsp fresh ginger, finely grated

• 1 tsp chili paste (or sriracha)

• 1 tbsp soy sauce

• 1 lb jumbo lump crab meat

• 2 tbsp sesame seeds

• 2-3 tbsp neutral oil (such as avocado oil, canola oil, peanut oil, or a mild olive oil)

• sweet chili slaw:

• ⅓ cup sweet chili sauce

• 3 tbsp plain greek yogurt

• 1 tbsp chili paste (or sriracha)

• ⅓ cup seasoned rice vinegar (or regular rice vinegar + 2 tsp sugar)

• 2 tbsp soy sauce

• 1 lime, juiced

• ¼ cup fresh cilantro

• 3 cups coleslaw (or cabbage)

• 4 scallions, thinly sliced

Instructions

• In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, panko, greek yogurt, hoisin, cilantro, scallions, ginger, chili paste, and soy sauce until well combined. Fold in the crab meat. Using your hands, form 6-8 crab cakes out of the mixture. Sprinkle each patty with sesame seeds, pushing them in with your fingers to ensure they stick. (Alternatively, you could pour the sesame seeds onto a plate and roll each crab cake through).
• Transfer the crab cakes to the fridge to set. Chill for at least one hour, or up to overnight. (If you are in a huge rush, you could also freeze them for 20 minutes)
• In a large bowl, whisk the sweet chili sauce, greek yogurt, chili paste, rice vinegar, soy sauce, and lime juice until combined. Toss with the coleslaw, cilantro, and scallions.
• Once the crab cakes have chilled, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. You should need just enough oil to cover the bottom of your skillet. Once hot, place your crab cakes into the oil and sear for 4-5 minutes on each side, or until a golden crust forms and the middle is entirely cooked through.
• Serve your crab cakes on a bed of the sweet chili slaw (or in a bun as a sandwich). Enjoy!