Crab Cakes with Mayonnaise (Gordon Ramsay)

I know that I can never be an avid foodie...

Reaching out for a bottle of squeezable mayonnaise from my pantry or a supermarket shelf is so much convenient that whisking mayonnaise from scratch...

What if the oil in the mayonnaise split? What if the raw egg makes the mayonnaise go off too quickly? Wait. Wait. Wait. Wait a minute. Am I giving myself excuses for not attempting to make my own mayonnaise from scratch? I think I am.

Geez! I gotta think positive!

Not to defend myself... Imagine. The thought of making my own mayonnaise with Gordon Ramsay's supervision just scare me off completely!!! LOL!

ok. ok... Again, think positively! It will be fun making my own mayonnaise whether if it is going to split or go off easily. I will start by making a small portion in order to cook these crab cakes.

Nice plan!

Without Gordon Ramsay screaming in my face, I think I can handle this... LOL!

Now, check this out! This is my Gordon Ramsay's all time British pub favourite crab cakes made with homemade mayonnaise. Glad that I survive making my own mayonnaise! And, glad that the angry Gordon Ramsay is not in my face... LOL!

All I see is happy faces eating these crab cakes...

Crab cakes with mayonnaise (Gordon Ramsay) 

The crab cakes contain equal amount of crab meat and potatoes.

The potatoes are cooked and mashed.

Crab meat for my husband and son. Salmon for the crab-allergy me.

These are the ingredients that I used to whip my mayonnaise.

Ta-dah!

This is what I did to continue the cooking of crab / salmon cakes.

Unlike the Japanese potato korokke that I have cooked, these potato cakes are neatly shaped.

Both look the same to me! Accordingly to my husband, they taste slightly different.

This is my salmon cake... Very soft and creamy inside with a nice crusty finish.

Don't forget to enjoy these crab cakes with this really creamy mayonnaise!

After enjoying these crab / salmon cakes, my husband told me that the crab cakes are actually nicer than the salmon ones because the salmon ones have more fishy taste. Then, my son added on by saying that he actually likes the Japanese potato korokke more than these crab cakes. Despite that I tried to defend that this is the classic British way of cooking potato croquettes, we can't help to agree that we have been acclimatized to Asian palate and prefer the Japanese potato korokke more than these crab cakes.

To conclude, we reckon these crab cakes might been different if Gordon Ramsay is a Japanese. Alternatively, we might prefer eating these crab cakes if we are 100% British - LOL!

As for the mayonnaise... Although I really enjoy making my own mayonnaise from scratch, we actually prefer the Japanese Kewpie mayonnaise for its soft creamy and fluffier taste. See. I know that I can never be an avid foodie...

Here's the recipe from the book, Gordon Ramsay's Great British Pub Food
(with my modification in blue)

Serve 6
500g potatoes, peeled
20g butter
(replaced by 1 1/2 tbsp milk powder)
sea salt and black pepper
1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
1 large shallot, peeled and finely chopped
2-3 tbsp mayonnaise (see below)
finely grated zest of 1 lemon
1 tbsp lemon juice
handful of mixed herb sprigs, such as chervil, basil and parsley, chopped
500g white crabmeat
(Due to my allergy to crabmeat, I made 7 crab cakes using 2/3 of the recipe with 2 x 170g crabmeat for my husband and son and made 4 salmon cakes using 1/3 of the recipe with 1 x 130g salmon for me)
25g plain flour
2 medium eggs, lightly beaten
100g fine white breadcrumbs
groundnut oil, for frying (I used rice bran oil)

To serve:
few handfuls of mixed salad and herb leaves
mayonnaise (see below)

Cut the potatoes into even-sized chunks and cook in boiling salted water for 15-20 mins, until soft. Drain and while still hot, press through a potato ricer into a large bowl, or mash well until smooth. Beat in the butter (or milk powder) and a generous pinch each of salt and pepper.

Heat the olive oil in a small pan, then add the shallot with some seasoning and sweat over a medium heat for 6-8 mins, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent.
Beat the shallot into the mashed potato, then fold through the mayonnaise, lemon zest and juice, and chopped herbs. Season well. Pick through the crabmeat discarding any stray pieces of shell, then stir through the potato mixture. Cover and chill for 30 mins. At this stage, I divided the mixture into 1/3 and 2/3, mix in crabmeat in the 2/3 portion and salmon in the remaining portion.
Divide the mixture into 6 (or 11) even portions and shape into patties. If you wish, use a 7-8 cm pastry ring to neaten the shape. Season the flour with salt and pepper. Lightly coat each patty with seasoned flour, then dip in the beaten egg and finally into the breadcrumbs to coat all over. Arrange them on a tray lined with non-stick baking paper and chill for 30 mins to set the shape, if you have time. Note: I didn't chill the patties and they are soft to handle but overall still ok.

Preheat the oven to 200°C / Gas 6 / 180°C fan forced and put a baking sheet in to heat up. Heat a thin layer of groundnut oil in a large frying pan and fry the crab cakes lightly for 2-3 mins on each side until golden brown.Transfer to the baking sheet and finish cooking in the oven for 8-10 mins.

Place a crab cake on each serving plate and arrange a pile of salad and herb leaves alongside. Add a dollop of mayonnaise and serve at once.

Do-it-Yourself Mayonnaise from this Gordon Ramsay video

3 egg yolks

1 tsp Dijon mustard

300 ml groundnut oil (I use rice bran oil)

salt and pepper to taste

Sit a large bowl on a cloth to stop it moving. Put the egg yolks into the bowl with the Dijon mustard. Season with salt and pepper. Whisk well until smooth.

Gradually, add oil in a slow, steady stream, whisking all the time. The mixture will turn smooth and thick that stands in peaks.

Alternatively, you can use food processor to add oil through the feeding tube while processing the mixture.

Keep mixture in the fridge for 3-4 days.

Note: Using 1/3 of the recipe, I have whisked just enough mayonnaise to cook and serve these crabcakes.

Happy Cooking
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