Crispy Crab Rolls
This dish combines my love of Asian cooking and my obsession with mid-19th-century Southern country club recipes. The crust of these crispy crab rolls filled with moist flaked seafood, is made with—surprise!—soft, white sandwich bread. Served with a doctored Thai sweet chile sauce, it’s an irresistible snack.
Watch Andrew make this recipe:
Andrew Zimmern Cooks: Crispy Crab Rolls
Ingredients
- 1 pound lump crabmeat
- Freshly ground white pepper
- Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
- Pinch of cayenne pepper
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 1/4 cup scallions, minced, plus more for garnish
- 1 cup Thai sweet chile sauce
- 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 1 tablespoon black sesame seeds
- Salt
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons water
- 3 large egg whites
- 2 cups flour
- 12 slices of soft white bread, crusts removed (Wonder Bread works best)
- About 1 quart vegetable oil, for frying
Instructions
First, make the crab filling. In medium bowl, combine the crab, white pepper, nutmeg, cayenne, mayonnaise, egg yolk, lemon zest and scallions. Delicately stir together.
Next, make the dipping sauce. In a bowl, whisk together the chile sauce, lime juice, black sesame seeds and salt.
In another medium bowl, combine the cornstarch, water and egg whites. Whisk until smooth. Place the flour in a separate bowl and season with salt.
Using a rolling pin, flatten each slice of bread. Spread the crab on the lower half of the slices and roll up the bread around the crab; press to seal the rolls.
In a large, deep skillet, heat 2 inches of oil to 375 degrees F.
Dip each crab roll in the egg white mixture, dredge in the flour, and then carefully transfer it to the oil. Fry in batches without crowding, turning occasionally, until crispy, about 8 minutes per batch. Transfer the crab rolls to several layers of paper towels to drain. Serve with the chile sauce and garnish with extra scallions.
