Herbed Jersey Royal crab cakes
Crab and Jersey Royals are natural bedfellows, and these perky little crab cakes make the best summer lunch or dinner for friends. Try using dill in the mix if you can, I love the gentle anise flavour it adds to the cakes.
SERVES 4 PREP 30 mins plus chilling COOK 8 mins EASY G
400g Jersey Royal potatoes, scrubbed not peeled 2 tbsp olive oil pinch of fennel seeds
1/4 bulb of fennel, finely chopped
1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
4 spring onions, sliced handful of samphire (optional)
200g cooked crabmeat, a mix of white and brown 3 tbsp finely chopped soft herbs (I like a mixture of dill, parsley and tarragon), plus extra to serve 1 tbsp capers pinch of cayenne pepper
1 lemon, 1/2 zested and juiced, 1/2 cut into wedges for serving
1 tbsp mayonnaise, plus extra to serve flour, for dusting watercress, to serve
1 Put the potatoes in a pan, cover with water, add 1 tsp salt and bring to the boil. Cook for 12-15 mins or until tender enough to smash. Leave to cool.
2 Heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a frying pan and add the fennel seeds, fennel, chilli and garlic followed by the spring onions. Gently cook for 3-5 mins until fragrant but not coloured. During the last minute, add the samphire.
3 In a bowl, mash the potatoes until well broken down, then combine with the crabmeat, herbs, spring onion mix, cayenne, lemon zest and mayo. Season and mix until well combined, then chill for 30 mins.
4 Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Oil your hands and shape the mixture into eight palm-sized patties and dip in plenty of flour – be careful as they are quite fragile and sticky – I do this on a tray lined with baking parchment. If you have time, put in the fridge to set for 30 mins before cooking. Heat the remaining oil in a non-stick frying pan and fry for 2-3 mins on each side until crisp and golden. Transfer to an oiled baking tray and finish in the oven for 5 mins. Serve with mayo, some watercress tossed with the remaining herbs, and the lemon juice with the lemon wedges on the side.
PER SERVING 264 kcals • fat 14g • saturates 2g • carbs 20g • sugars 2g • fibre 3g • protein 13g • salt 0.7g