Thai Crab Cakes Recipe

Prepare ingredients

Pick through the snow crab meat to remove any shells and flake the meat into bite-sized pieces. Press the firm tofu between paper towels or a clean cloth under a weight for 10–15 minutes to remove excess water. Finely dice the red bell pepper, slice the green onions, and chop the cilantro and basil (if using).

Make crab-tofu mixture

In a large bowl, crumble the pressed tofu with a fork until mostly smooth but slightly textured. Add the flaked snow crab meat, diced red bell pepper, sliced green onions, chopped cilantro and basil. Stir to combine.

Season and bind

To the bowl add lime juice, fish sauce, light soy sauce, sesame oil, granulated sugar, white pepper and kosher salt. Mix gently so the crab meat stays in pieces. Add the lightly beaten egg and panko breadcrumbs, folding until the mixture holds together when pressed. If the mixture seems too wet, add up to 1–2 tablespoons more panko; if too dry, add a teaspoon of water or another teaspoon of beaten egg.

Portion

Divide the crab mixture into 6 equal portions (about 2 tablespoons each) and lightly shape each into a compact oval or small patty that will fit inside a 6-inch tofu skin square. Keep the shaped portions chilled for 10 minutes to firm up while you prepare wrappers and coating.

Prepare tofu skins: lay one tofu skin (yuba) square on a clean work surface. If the skins are brittle, lightly dampen a clean kitchen towel and cover them for a minute to make them pliable, or mist with a little water.

Place one portion of the crab mixture near the bottom third of the tofu skin. Fold the bottom edge up over the filling, then fold the left and right sides in, and roll toward the top to form a neat parcel. Seal the final edge with a little slurry made from 1 tablespoon flour mixed with 1–2 tablespoons water. Repeat with remaining portions. Place wrapped cakes seam-side down on a tray and chill 10 minutes to set.

Make coating slurry: whisk the remaining 1/2 cup flour with 1/2 cup cold water and 2 teaspoons cornstarch until smooth to make a thin batter for coating. Put additional panko (if desired) in a shallow dish for extra crunch.

Coat each wrapped cake by dipping briefly into the flour-cornstarch slurry, letting excess drip off, then optionally pressing into panko for extra texture. Place coated cakes on a plate ready for frying.

Heat oil: pour 2–3 cups neutral oil into a heavy saucepan or deep skillet to a depth of about 1 1/2 inches. Heat over medium-high until oil registers 350°F (175°C) on a thermometer, or until a small drop of batter sizzles and rises immediately.

Fry in batches: carefully slide 2–3 crab cakes (do not overcrowd) into the hot oil, seam-side down. Fry 2–3 minutes per side, turning gently with tongs or a spider so each side is golden brown and the tofu skin is crisp. Total fry time per cake should be about 4–6 minutes depending on size and oil temperature. Adjust heat to maintain roughly 330–350°F.

Drain: remove cooked crab cakes to a wire rack set over a sheet pan or to paper towels to drain. Keep warm in a low oven (200°F / 95°C) while frying remaining batches.

If using store-bought Thai sweet chili sauce, transfer to a small serving bowl. Taste and, if desired, thin slightly with a teaspoon of lime juice or a splash of rice vinegar for brightness. For a quick homemade version: combine 3/4 cup water, 1/2 cup sugar, 1/4 cup rice vinegar, 1 tablespoon fish sauce, 1 tablespoon chili flakes or sambal (adjust to heat preference), 2 teaspoons cornstarch dissolved in 1 tablespoon water; simmer until thickened, cool before serving.

Arrange the hot Thai crab cakes on a serving platter, garnish with cilantro sprigs and lime wedges. Serve immediately with sweet chili sauce for dipping.