Thai Style Crab Cakes

This is a nice variation on crab cakes, Thai sytle with a little spice.

For a variation, serve as a filling for lettuce wraps.   Use Bibb/Iceberg or your favorite large leaf lettuce for the wrap.   Follow directions for mixing the crab cakes but chop shrimp instead of using a food processor, and omit the egg, bread crumbs and flour for dredging.    Saute the crab cake mixture til shrimp are pink (~5 min).  Pour cooked mixture in bowl, serve with lettuce wraps and lime. 

6 medium raw shrimp, shelled, washed and deveined (scallops can also be used)
1 teaspoon nam pla (fish sauce) or 1/2 teaspoon soy sauce
1 pound fresh lump crab meat, picked over for cartilage
1/4 cup chopped scallion
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1 fresh chili, preferably Thai, minced
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 egg
2 to 3 tablespoons bread crumbs, preferably fresh
About 1/2 cup all-purpose flour for dredging
Peanut or vegetable oil as needed

Lime wedges for serving.

1. Purée shrimp in a food processor (smaller is better) until you have a smooth paste, or chop and mash by hand. Add fish sauce. In a bowl, mix the shrimp purée, crab meat, egg, scallion, cilantro, chili, ginger and salt and pepper; add just enough bread crumbs to stiffen mixture a bit. Refrigerate mixture until you are ready to cook; it will be easier to shape into cakes if you refrigerate it for 30 minutes or more.

2. Season flour with salt and pepper. Film bottom of a large skillet with oil and place over medium-high heat. Shape crab meat mixture into cakes 1 inch thick and as wide as you want. Dredge each in flour, and cook, adjusting heat as necessary and turning once (very gently), until golden brown on both sides, about 5 minutes a side. Serve with lime wedges.
Yield: 4 servings.