Crab Cakes with a Hot Chili Aioli

This recipe makes 6 crab cakes.

Ingredients for the crab cakes
1/2 cup vegetable oil
8oz crab meat
1 cup onion, diced
2 tbsp. Ty Caton Vineyards Sweet Balsamic Dijon Mustard
2 eggs
2 cups breadcrumbs
2 tsp. dill weed
salt & pepper

Ingredients for the Aioli
1 cup mayonnaise
3 garlic cloves – either pressed or very finely diced
1 1/2 tsp. Ty Caton Vineyards Hot Chili Olive Oil
1 1/2 tbsp. lemon juice

To make the crab cakes:
In a large bowl, lightly beat the two eggs. Then add the onion, dill weed, breadcrumbs, crab meat, Ty Caton Vineyards Sweet Balsamic Dijon Mustard, and salt and pepper to the bowl. Stir the mixture well to combine all of the ingredients and then form into patties about 3-4 inches across and an inch or so deep. You could also form them into bite-size poppers for a great hors d’oeuvre. Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet on a medium-low heat. Once the oil is ready, drop in the crab cakes and fry them for around 3-4 minutes per side until golden brown. Line a plate with paper towel and once ready, leave to drain for a few minutes before eating.

To make the aioli:
Add the lemon juice and mayonnaise to a small bowl and mix well to combine. Once combined add the garlic and Ty Caton Vineyards Hot Chili Olive Oil and mix well once again. Pipe on to the crab cakes for presentation or serve by the side as a dip.

We chose to pipe this over the top and made a second alternate cilantro dip which we served on the side.
The ingredients for the alternate dip:
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup cilantro
3 tsp. Ty Caton Vineyards Hot Chili Olive Oil
a pinch of chipotle powder (or more to taste)
lime juice, to taste

This is quite a fluid recipe and very simple. Combine all of these ingredients and stir to mix well. Then, once you have mixed all of these ingredients together, you can play around with the chipotle powder and lime juice to get the level of citrus and spice that you personally are looking for. You could also use this one as the topping for the crab cakes too!

Looking for a fresh and bright pairing?  Try our 2020 Estate Rosé of Syrah for a touch of bright fruit with a delicate touch of citrus.