Pan-Fried Crab Cakes with Katsu Curry Sauce
Delicate crab cakes made with creamy potato and fresh lemon, pan-fried until golden and served atop a silky spiced curry sauce. The sauce combines aromatic onion and garlic pastes with warm spices—curry powder, cumin, coriander, and turmeric—balanced with chicken stock and dark soy. Topped with fresh coriander and spring onions for brightness.
Ingredients
- 3 ¼ cups floury potatoes, chopped
- 1 lb sustainable white crabmeat
- 1 lemon, zest and juice finely grated
- 1 medium free-range egg yolk
- ¼ cups all-purpose flour, to dust
- vegetable oil, to fry
- coriander, finely chopped
- spring onions, finely sliced
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 3 ½ oz onion, chopped and whizzed into paste
- 3 ½ oz garlic, chopped and whizzed into paste
- 1 tbsp mild curry powder
- 1 tbsp ground cumin
- 1 tbsp ground coriander
- 1 tbsp ground turmeric
- 14 tbsp chicken stock
- 1 ¼ tbsp dark soy sauce
Instructions
- 1
Cook chopped potatoes in boiling salted water until soft, drain, and pass through a potato ricer into a bowl. Cool completely.
- 2
Heat vegetable oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic pastes and fry, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.
- 3
Add curry powder, cumin, coriander, and turmeric to the pan. Cook for 2 minutes.
- 4
Pour in chicken stock and dark soy sauce. Bring to a boil, then remove from heat. Transfer to a food processor and blend until smooth.
- 5
Mix crabmeat, lemon zest, lemon juice, and egg yolk into the cooled riced potatoes. Season with a pinch of salt.
- 6
Dust hands with flour. Form the mixture into 4 discs, each about 3 ⅛" in diameter and ¾" thick.
- 7
Heat a non-stick frying pan over medium heat and add a drizzle of oil. Fry the crab cakes for 2-3 minutes on each side.
- 8
Spoon warm sauce onto plates, top with crab cakes, and sprinkle with coriander and green onions.
Tips
If you don't have a potato ricer, push the cooked potatoes through a fine sieve or mash them until very smooth.
The sauce can be made up to 1 day ahead and reheated gently before serving.
Good to Know
Crab cakes are best served fresh but can be covered and refrigerated for up to 2 hours. Reheat gently in a 160C oven for 5 minutes. Sauce keeps refrigerated for 3 days.
Make the sauce up to 1 day ahead. Form crab cakes up to 4 hours ahead, cover, and refrigerate until ready to fry.
Serve immediately on warm plates with the sauce spooned underneath or around the cakes. Garnish with fresh coriander and spring onions.
Common Mistakes
Don't skip cooling the potatoes fully to avoid warm egg yolk cooking and breaking the mixture.
Don't overmix the crab cake base to avoid a dense, rubbery texture.
Don't fry at too high a heat to avoid the exterior browning before the interior warms through.