Crab Cake with Simple Guacamole

This blog is written by celebrity chef and THOR Kitchen brand advocate Derrick Fox. Each month, Chef Fox will be sharing his favorite recipes with step-by-step directions, pictures and his signature style.

I tell everyone that says they don’t like the taste of something that they probably haven’t had it prepared properly. I’ll never forget the time I was cooking a private dinner party, and the client was telling me his “hatred” for mushrooms. He started eating the dish I had prepared for him, paused, and asked, “What’s this brown stuff?”

“Mushrooms!” I said. We all got a good laugh.

I was never crazy about crab cakes and always thought they were boring or typical. Then I tried one made with Ritz crackers and, in that moment, I understood that I had just never had a good crab cake.

I encourage anyone to keep trying foods you don’t like prepared in different ways. You will be surprised when you learn to love an ingredient. Then again, I also say that lightly, because it will be a cold day in hell before you catch me eating canned black olives!

I gave a little SoCal twist to this crab cake with some heat, some guac and a lime wedge. Let’s #cooklikeagod!

Before we mix all our ingredients, let’s cook and chill the corn. If you want to go the extra mile, I recommend grilling the corn then cutting it off the cob.

I made this crab cake during COVID-19 quarantine, so I used a frozen bag of corn and sautéed it in a pan real quick. Once cooked, let chill or come to room temp.

To prepare crab mixture: In your large mixing bowl, add the mayo and chipotle seasoning and whisk. Be sure to get the seasoning nice and even. Then add celery, diced shallot and cooked corn and mix. Add one egg and whisk. The egg will help bind the ingredients together during cooking.

Next add crab, Ritz crackers and lime zest and mix.

Feel free to add more Ritz crackers if the mix seems too wet. The best part about this recipe (besides the crab) is the buttery goodness of the crushed Ritz crackers. Think about when you’re eating crab legs and you’re dipping them in clarified butter. We are achieving that combination here with the crackers in the crab cake.

I blitz the crackers in a food processor, but you can also put them in a Ziploc bag and crush them with your hands.

Now it’s time to mold and place your crab cakes. Use a large ring-shaped cookie cutter if you have one, or just use your hands to shape them into a patty. Then season with salt and pepper. Set the formed crab cakes on a sheet of parchment paper.

Place your pan over medium high heat. Once it’s hot, add oil to the pan and sear your crab cakes until they are golden brown on both sides. Place them on a baking sheet on a fresh sheet of parchment paper, then place them in the oven for 4 minutes at 400 degrees.

To prepare the simple guacamole: Peel your avocados, remove the pit and place in a small mixing bowl. Add lemon and lime juice and start mashing. The lime is great flavor and you want the flavor throughout. The acid in the lemon keeps the guac nice and green.

Then add the rest of your ingredients and mix. Add salt to taste and you are ready to plate and enjoy! Top with micro cilantro or radish sprouts and a lime wedge!